Guardian Agent
by archer24
Summary: Bella Swan attends Meyer Academy, a school made for training secret agents. Bella's difficult past makes the job easier for her then most. However, Bella's barriers come crashing down when she is sent to protect none other then Edward Cullen. AH :P
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

My name is Isabella Swan. I had a rough past and I will probably have a rough future. But the most important feature that you need to know about me is that I am a secret agent. Not only do I attend the very prestigious Meyer Academy for training future undercover agents, I am also the best. But that's getting ahead, why don't I start from the beginning.

I grew up in Phoenix with my mother Renee and my father Charlie. I was constantly beaten by my drunk father and my mother would come home from work only to yell at me for doing something wrong and then continue to tell me how hideous I was. And she was right, I always believed her, from my plain brown hair that went from my mid-waist, to my eyes which were the same dull brown. I lived them until I was 14 years old; my father continued to beat me (always making sure to not touch my face so that no one would suspect anything) and my mother continued punishing me, telling me that she regretted having me and that I was a spoiled brat that was lucky to have someone as nice as her as a mother.

Going to school wasn't much better, I was constantly ridiculed for how ugly I was, I came to only wearing sweatpants and t-shirts to school (not that much of the other clothing that Renee buys me is much better). Girls would accidentally "trip" during lunch and spill the contents of their trays all over me; they would call me a nerd and a geek and occasionally even hit me. Because of that I spent most of my time in the library. My friends were my books, because they were the only ones that never judged or yelled at me. I used to have a friend, her name was Angela. We went to the same middle school and she was nice to me. Everything changed when we first stepped foot in high school. Apparently the popular girls thought that she was popular material and worthy of following them around like a helpless puppy. They gave her a choice, either she could join them and humiliate me everyday, or get humiliated with me. Although with my luck I should have expected it, it still hurt when the one person I thought was my friend stabbed me in the back and joined very people who made it their job to make my life a living hell. However, all that changed on my fourteenth birthday.

It had been raining that day, which was unusual in Arizona. The fact that it was my birthday either didn't matter to my parents or they completely forgot. It was a Saturday night and my parents were going out to dinner, leaving me to fend for myself for the night. This was nothing new to me, thus making me a very good cook at a very young age. My parents were going out to a very fancy restaurant, celebrating the promotion that my father had recently received. I was heating up some leftover mushroom ravioli when the lights went out. _Wow, I didn't know the storm was this bad_ I thought to myself. With that, I went to the closet that I get to call my bedroom and went to sleep on the piles of pillows and blankets that were on the ground. Soon after laying down I was in a deep sleep.

The real surprise was the next morning when I actually woke up on my own instead of the usual screaming of Renee at 5:30 in the morning. I thought that maybe that was my birthday present, instead of pushing my luck and staying in bed for a few more hours like my body longed for, I got up to start making breakfast for my parents like they make me do every morning.

However, to my utter surprise and joy, the kitchen was empty. _Maybe they're still sleeping?_ My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking on the front door, thinking that maybe it was my parents coming home extremely late; I was surprised instead to see a police officer standing on my doorstep with a grim expression on his face. This made me frantic, thinking that somehow word had gotten out about Charlie abusing me. He would kill me if I told anyone, so the sight of a policeman was not very welcoming to me. What he said next though stopped my mind in it's tracks.

"Are you Isabella Swan?" He asked. I simply nodded my head, too afraid to say anything. "I am very sorry to say that last night your parents were in a terrible car accident…they didn't make it"

I was frozen. He must have thought that I was too depressed to speak from the way I must have looked. Instead of feeling sorrow and grief that any normal child with loving parents would feel, the only thing that was going through my mind was _I'm free…I'm finally free!_ He continued to tell me that since I wasn't old enough to collect the money that was left to me, I was to be put in foster care. It didn't matter to me, anything was better then what I had now.

I spent three years in foster care, no one ever adopted me probably thinking that I wasn't as pretty or smart as the others that came and went. I was perfectly fine with it though, I was left alone. The brave ones that tried to talk to me, the scary girl that never talked to anyone, soon figured out that I wasn't worth it and left me alone before they too were adopted and moved on. It didn't take me long to figure out that no one wanted me and that I was meant for a life filled with solitude. No one would ever love me and I soon gave up believing that someone would actually want me as a daughter.

One day, a man came into the facility looking for someone to adopt. The other kids in my building were about my age, some older, some younger; however none of them had been in there for as long as I had. He talked to a lot of the other kids, I simply stayed by myself pretending to read my book while actually listening to their conversation. I discovered that his name was Marcus and that he was originally from Italy. However, I soon grew bored of their conversation and went back to reading Pride and Prejudice. A few chapters later I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I looked up quickly into the eyes of the man that I learned to be called Marcus.

To say that I was astonished would be an understatement. No one, and I mean a no one ever bothered to talk to me.

"Hello, my name is Marcus, what do I have the pleasure of calling you?" he asked.

After a quick pause to make sure that it was indeed me he was talking to and not some other kid I was sitting near I answered, "Isabella, but most people call me Bella" It came out quietly in a monotone that basically screamed that I really didn't feel like talking, I half expected him not to hear me. Other adults had tried talking to me but soon found out that I was obviously not the kid for them. Oftentimes I felt the grim satisfaction when I would overhear them speaking about my eyes and how they were afraid I would attack them or something.

After a few more questions about me, he seemed to be satisfied and rose to talk to Clara, the woman in charge. While pretending to read my book, I kept my eyes on the mysterious man. Something he said seemed to shock Clara for she gasped and glanced in my direction before her eyes returned to Marcus's face. I read her lips, actually interested in the conversation now _Are you sure?_ He simply just nodded in response.

I soon found out that the man actually wanted to adopt me! This came as a shock to not only me (Not that I showed it), but the kids who had been there long enough to know that the chances of that happening were slim to none.

A few days later I was following him out of the building, carrying only a backpack filled with the few possessions I had: some torn up books, a few saved up dollars and a sweatshirt.

It didn't take Marcus long to explain to me what the real reason for adopting me was. He was a recruiter for Meyer Academy, a top secret spy school. He goes all over the country in search of people my age who seem right for the job. He told me about how he had a very good feeling about me, that I would accomplish great things.

When I first stepped foot in Meyer Academy, I was astounded. Sure Marcus prepared me for all the high tech futuristic technology that was required to simply get into the school. But he didn't tell me about the size of it! It was fantastic, their must have been at least 10 floors that stood in the middle of no where. Meyer Academy resided in California near the central valley. People that were not aware of it being a prestigious spy school simply thought that it was a school for snooty rich kids. You were required to endure five years of classes at Meyer, including courses on computer technology and physical combat. I made up one of the thirty first years to be attending that year. Everything was just as new to me as it was to them, however after a short amount of time it was quite obvious that I would go much further.

Only after completing all five years of training could an undergrad go on actual missions. I was the only exception in all of the universities existence to that rule. I managed to complete five years of training in just one and a half. I surpassed other students and even teachers when it came to physical combat. No matter whether they were male or female, I managed to take them down in no time flat; I have yet to find someone that could pose as an actual challenge to me. Even when it came to technology, I am the fastest hacker known throughout the university and some even think the country. I had designed and built the entire security system for the school that stop and identify an intruder before they even blink.

I am a living legend that other students either admire or fear. It's mostly the latter when it came to the students who were in the lower classes then I am. I'm cold and unstoppable, I let my hatred for the life I used to live fuel my fighting and motivation. I was impenetrable, still seeing myself as the ugly duckling that my mother always claimed me as. I had no friends and spent all of my time training and practicing. I was the perfect killer, nothing could phase me and because I didn't care about anything no one could use it against me.

All of the other students avoid me; they part like the red sea in the hallways silently watching as I pass by. I do nothing to provoke this, I'm simply not like them, and I accept that. I have no friends; I don't trust anyone, especially after what happened with Angela. My life circulated like this throughout my first two years at Meyer Academy. My third year is bound to be different though, seeing as I already know everything there is to know.

**A/N: Please read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight **

I woke up and rolled over to see that my alarm clock read 5:30 AM. _Oh great, I slept in I was supposed to be up at 5:00 to get my morning run in before the classes started._

Nevertheless I quickly got up and started searching my room for something decent to wear.

Because of my status at the school, I had my own room. Usually this privilege was reserved for 5th year students only, but the academy figured that I earned it seeing that I might as well be in my 5th year.

However, my guess for my lack of a roommate would be the fact that every other student was too afraid to spend the night in the same room as me.

My room had a pretty basic décor; made up of mostly gold and black painted walls with a matching gold bed spread. I decorated it myself and loved every aspect of it. My parents never let me have a room this big to keep the few possessions they allowed me to have.

Shaking away the memories that were threatening to invade my mind, I quickly shrugged on a navy blue t-shirt and my favorite pair of black running shorts with a white stripe down the side.

On my way out I grabbed a granola bar, ipod and a rubber band to keep my hair out of my eyes during my run. Before I left I made sure to activate the security system I installed to my room during my first year here.

Basically, the only way to gain access to my room would be to first scan my fingerprint on the screen on my door. Any fingerprint that the computer didn't recognize right away would run a scan through the school's main frame to figure out who was trying to get into my room. Once the person is identified the computer would notify me on my cell phone asking me whether or not to let that person gain access.

It was very convenient and made me worry less about my stuff getting stolen. Being able to even outsmart most of the teachers oftentimes had its benefits in this school.

More then once the newer and less mature students would use trying to get into my room as a dare during a game of truth or dare. Oftentimes I would catch first years trying to outsmart my security system.

I would open the door to try to figure out what they were doing, but once they saw me they looked like a deer caught in headlights and hightailed it out of there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Not many people were awake at this hour so I had the entire track to myself.

It was a nice facility; it was all indoors with the entire inside of the track set up with mats for the physical combat class. I came here almost as often as I did the library. Here I could release a lot of pent up frustration without anyone giving me weird looks.

Well I still got weird looks but it wasn't because of the fact that I was kicking the crap out of a punching bag.

I took out my ipod and put on _**Gives You Hell,**_ by the All American Rejects and started at a slow jog.

Six miles and forty five minutes later, I decided that I needed to wrap up my work out and go take a shower.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I trudged back to my room on the second floor of the school, only slightly out of breath from my run. I swiped my finger on the screen and immediately gained access to my room.

I grabbed another t-shirt (this time white), a pair of comfortable jeans and a grey zip up hoodie before heading into the shower.

I used my strawberry shampoo and freesia body wash making sure to fully wash off the layer of sweat from my skin before turning off the water and stepping out of the shower.

I dried my hair and put it into a high bun, and continued to put my clothes on.

Pocketing my cell phone, I headed out to walk around the campus and find something to do. It was the first day of classes, and my first day officially as a year three student.

When I reached the end of the hall, I punched in my secret ID number and scanned my finger print on the elevators computer screen. Only certain areas were open to certain people, which increased with each year you spent at Meyer Academy.

Most first years only had access to the floor with their dorm room on and the levels which included their classes. However, **I **had access to all ten floors plus the underground floors that only a select few students knew existed, which I happened to know stored a mass amount of weapons to be used only on missions.

The elevator had eight hidden cameras that constantly followed your every move and it's nearly impossible to identify where one is let alone all eight of them.

I waited patiently for the elevator to bring me up to the seventh floor which stored all the computers. I hadn't checked the school's security system lately for possible breaches and intrusions; even though the chances of that were highly unlikely.

By now most of the students were up and about. First years running back and forth frantically searching for the right classroom, only to stop in their tracks when they caught sight of me.

Word travels fast in a school with such few students and the first years probably already knew all about me, the top secret agent who could literally kill you in seconds.

They stared wide eyed as I passed, whispering to their neighbors. I heard the occasional comment, most of the time being, '_**That's**__ Bella Swan, the top agent?' , _or my now personal favorite '_I heard she can kill someone just by looking at them!_'

After I heard that last one I couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped my mouth. Deciding to have some fun for once I looked straight at the guy who said it and let my mouth twist into a menacing grin.

He and his friends bolted down the hallway so fast you would have thought that they were running a 50-yard dash.

The older students who knew all about me, or enough to know that I wouldn't hurt them unless they provoked me, simply saw me and moved aside. That was fine with me and I just continued on my way to the highest level computer room.

Here at Meyer Academy there were two different categories you could major in. The first one consisted more of a mental approach rather then physical. The people who chose this path build new technology that could be used by the Academy and its agents.

Either it was designing hacking software, or building weapons for agents to use out on the field. Either way, most of these people didn't have to leave the comfort and security of their offices and work spaces. We classify these people as technological constructors, but we call them TC's for short.

The other choice is the exact opposite of the TC path. It is much more physical and also splits up into two groups.

Members of the first group are known as Guardians; their job is to protect. They are sent out when the academy catches the hint of a possible attack on an innocent person.

Oftentimes this is when a hitman is hired to kill someone who has done nothing wrong. The Guardians are sent out to protect the person while staying completely undercover.

The second group of agents that choose this major are classified as Prowlers. They do the exact opposite of Guardians. They are the ones that are sent out to make the kill. Their job is to quickly make sure that a specific person is no longer breathing within a certain amount of time.

They have the emptiness and mindset that Guardians lack. Killing people doesn't affect their conscience and only the agents who have nothing to lose can become them.

Yes, I'm a prowler.

I have the skills that the other positions require, but I choose to take the one with the most risk. Half hoping that on one of the missions I'm sent out on I won't come back.

But I know that that's impossible, I'm just too good at my job to slip up and return home without finishing the job.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When I stepped foot inside the computer room the other students who were there suddenly found something to do that didn't involve being in the same room as me.

With a sigh I made my way over to my personal computer in the back of the room.

The teacher gave a questioning glance to the students who were all trying to pile out of the room at once; but once he saw me a look of understanding came over his face and he went back to whatever it was that he was doing.

The computers at Meyer Academy were unlike any other in the world. It consisted of a piece of glass that is stood up and used as a touch screen. It's completely see-through but made so that if you were to stand behind the computer you wouldn't be able to see anything.

Everything was wireless, and you gained access to the internet through the school's Wi-Fi. The only way to log in was to scan your entire palm on the screen and then continue with punching in your 16 digit ID number.

I am the only one in the history of the academy to ever be able to hack into someone else's account. The administrators could never figure out how I did it; it keeps them on their toes, knowing that I could find out their whole life's story in a matter of minutes.

My security system stated that there was an attempt to hack into the system at 1:34 AM this morning. The computer was unable to tell me what it was that they were after; all I know is that they didn't get it.

In the middle of trying to trace the hack back to its original source I heard something peculiar.

"Um-mm-m…Ag-en-t…Sw-an" I looked up to see a first year girl staring at me wide eyed and hyperventilating. _Wow, this must be their new way of giving out detentions_.

I nodded at her to continue.

"Ad-minis-trat-or…A-ro…wantstotalktoyou" If it wasn't for my good hearing I wouldn't have been able to catch that last part.

I sighed, it looked like she was going to start crying afraid that my reaction to the message would somehow cause her pain.

In an attempt to sooth her worries I gave her a small smile, but it must have come out as more of a grimace because she gave a small scream and sprinted out the door.

With a sigh I logged off of the computer and headed towards Aro's office. _Wow I can't believe their giving me a mission so soon, wonder who I have to kill this time._

The security system going into Aro's office was very similar to the one on my own door. Except instead of alerting someone on their cell phone that another person wanted to enter, my fingerprint scan alerted Aro inside of his office. It told him who I was and asked whether he wanted me to be let in.

Once inside you had to enter your ID number and get a full body scan to make sure that it really is you and that it's only one person. After completing this I stepped into his office preparing myself for whatever he had planned for me.

He looked up when I entered and said "Good morning Isabella, long time no see"

I winced at the use of my full name, but nodded to him all the same and sat in the chair across from him.

Aro was the type of man where you could never guess what age he really was. He looked to be in his thirties but seemed to know the knowledge of a sixty year old.

I got along fine with him; he wasn't afraid of me and knew that he was lucky to have me. I just did what he asked and other then the occasional assignment of a new mission, we never even spoke to one another.

"Ok, so Isabella we are going to try something different from your usual type of mission. You may not like it but just hear me out."

With that he handed me a manila folder across the desk. I warily took it and opened it up.

I snapped it shut as soon as I saw what was written across the top in bold letters.

"YOUR SENDING ME OUT AS A GUARDIAN!!!!" I yelled at him, knowing that no one outside could hear me through the soundproof walls.

He winced at my reaction and made a motion with his hands that I assumed was supposed to be a calming gesture.

"The other administrators and I were hoping to broaden your range, see what else you could do." He said.

"I'm a Prowler for god's sake! This is like being demoted! " I said quieter but with as much ferocity as before.

"No of course not, you're just the perfect agent we have for the job. You're the only agent that is young enough to go on this mission and blend in." He responded

"And in what situation does this mission take place?" I replied with as much hostility as I could muster, I already had a guess at what his answer would be but I was hoping that for once I was wrong.

"High school, of course." He said. My eyes widened and I thought about protesting but I already knew that I had lost this battle. And by the look on his face he knew it too.

I sunk back in my chair and reluctantly reached out to grab the folder I had thrown on his desk when I was yelling.

"So who's the lucky person that gets to have me as their body guard?" I asked him in a sulky tone.

"He lives in Forks, Washington and attends the local high school. His name is Edward Cullen."

**A/N: Please read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight **

"_Flight 64 to Seattle is now boarding, please collect all your belongings and have your ticket ready."_

I sighed and grabbed my one carry on that only contained one weapon because the chances of someone attacking on an airplane are small, but still possible.

_At least I get to fly first class_ I couldn't even imagine having to sit for multiple hours squished in between two other people. And with my luck they would probably have ended up being someone who's air sick, or a woman with a crying baby or both.

As I stood in line I thought back to how easy it was to get past security in this airport. _Well it was easy for me_.

I used my cell phone to momentarily deactivate the screen they use to see inside the luggage. But just a small enough glitch to let my baggage pass through unnoticed then I reactivated it.

The weapons I was carrying that weren't in the bag was a different matter altogether. I had to fighting/throwing knives strapped to my inner forearms (hidden by my long sleeve shirt and jacket) and one longer one strapped to my back.

Back at Meyer Academy I had spent weeks in the lab developing a weapon that cut like metal but wasn't. It was insanely difficult to find something that sturdy that wouldn't break once it came in contact with anything else. Now I have my own personal weapons that allow me to get through the metal detectors without hassle.

I handed my ticket over to the woman on the other side of the counter and continued on my way to the plane, shouldering my bag.

I passed through the doors of the plane and saw one of the two pilots nod to me, I nodded back with understanding. He was the only one on this plane who actually knows about my job and that I'm not just taking an innocent trip to Seattle. The academy informed him ahead of time to let him know that I was on the plane, just in case something happened.

_1A…1B…2A…_ I glanced down at my ticket and took the next seat 2B.

I took my ipod out of my bag and was in the middle of scanning through my playlists when I heard the most awful sound.

"Ummm…like excuse me, does anyone like know where seat 2A is?" I looked up to see that the nasally voice belonged to a girl around my age with a face coated in makeup and long brown hair with too many products in it and an airhead look on her face.

I snickered at the person that was stuck sitting next to her for the plane ride. Then to my horror, someone looked at her ticket and pointed to the seat next to me.

I ripped out my ticket again to double check that I was in the correct seat. But to my dismay it said 2B on it in big bold letters.

I looked up again to see her attempting to shove a giant bright pink carry on into the little overhead compartment.

_You have got to be kidding me_ I thought to myself.

She finally shoved her carryon in the compartment and sat down next to me with a satisfied smile on her face. If I thought she was just going to sit next t me quietly, boy was I wrong.

She turned to me with a giant smile on her face and said "Hi! I'm Jessica! What's like your name!?!"

"Bella" I replied with the least amount of enthusiasm, trying to give her a clue that I did not feel like talking with her (Or in her case screaming). She had already managed to wake up a few passengers that were sleeping and make others turn their heads to stare at us.

"Oh my god I like love that name!! Why are you like going to Seattle!?! I'm going home from the like vacation my parents like sent me on!!" She said

"Forks" I replied in a monotone

"OMG!!!" She screamed "Me too!!! I go to Forks High School; I'm just coming back from winter vacation! Are you like going there too!?! She asked.

_Oh my god I think I'm going to shoot myself. Oh well she'll find out sooner or later._

"Yeah" I mumbled in response to her question

She responded with another scream and continued with her 20 (More like a hundred) questions.

This was how the next 45 minutes went by, her asking questions while saying the word "like" after every word. I couldn't switch seats because the plane had already taken off and I was contemplating whether or not to simply just break open the window and jumping out.

I sighed in relief when she told me that she had to go into the restroom to put on more makeup. And then I was hit with a brilliant plan.

I checked back to make sure that Jessica was in the bathroom then tapped on the shoulder of a passing flight attendant.

I put a worried expression on my face and said "Excuse me miss, I'm really worried; that woman that just went in the bathroom" I looked towards the bathroom in back and she followed my gaze "She was telling me about her plan to hijack the plane. She said that she has a knife in that bathroom and I'm really afraid."

At this last part the woman's face snapped back towards me with an expression that I'm sure matched my fake worried one.

"Don't worry we'll take care of it, thank you for notifying me" She said and then I watched as she scurried to the front of the plane to talk to a male flight attendant who was passing out drinks.

She whispered in his ear the information that I passed along to her and he took a glance at the back bathroom.

He headed towards the back, but not without grabbing another flight attendant to help him.

I watched as the bathroom door opened and Jessica stepped out with a fresh coat of makeup on her face and she was now examining her nails.

I saw with sweet satisfaction as the two flight attendants tackled her to the ground and tied her wrists behind her back.

They put her in a chair in the back and one of the flight attendant stood guard while the other went to alert the captain.

All the while Jessica sat there with her hands tied asking what the hell was going on.

With another satisfied sigh I put in my headphones and leaned back in my seat, closed my eyes, letting my classical music flow through my ears.

_Finally some peace and quiet_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I woke up with a start; the plane was wobbling around a bit.

"_Attention passengers we are experiencing some turbulence"_ said the pilot's voice through the intercom.

_No shit Sherlock_

"_Please remain in your seats; we still have about an hour until we land in Seattle."_

I reached into my bag and pulled out my laptop, thinking that I should probably get some work done while I can.

I turned it on and swiped my fingerprint, logging me on and giving me access to all my files.

I decided that the best way to go at this mission would be to look at it as if I was trying to kill the person. I needed to find out everything about him: his habits, the places he spends the most, and the people he spends the most time with.

I opened my email and downloaded the folder that Aro sent me containing all the information that I would need to learn about Edward.

**Name**: Edward Anthony Cullen

**D.O.B**: March 3, 1991 (adopted)

**Current Location**: Forks, Washington

**School Name**: Forks High School

**People of Association**: Alice Cullen (Sister), Emmet Cullen (Cousin), Jasper Hale, Rosalie Hale, Tanya Denali

**Other:** Dating Tanya Denali (currently)

The page of information was followed by a picture that made me gasp out loud.

He was the most handsome guy I had ever seen. He had bright green eyes that captivated me and a crooked smile that I'm sure has made many girls faint. His hair was a bronze color that made me want to run my hands through it. I memorized every part of his face, telling myself that it was only in case I needed to identify him in a hurry, when really it was because I couldn't look away.

I finally snapped out of my ogling to realize that I had been staring at his picture for over ten minutes and that I should probably look at the rest of the information.

I took one last glance at the picture of Edward, and then pulled up the information about the next person on the list.

**Name**: Mary Alice Cullen

**D.O.B**: July 15, 1991 (adopted)

**Current Location**: Forks, Washington

**School Name**: Forks High School

**People of Association**: Edward Cullen (Brother), Emmet Cullen (Cousin), Jasper Hale, Rosalie Hale

**Other:** Dating Jasper Hale

The picture that pooped up after this one was of a girl that could not be more then 5 feet tall. She had short spiky black hair and look in her eyes that made you think that she knew exactly how things were going to turn out.

**Name**: Emmet Cullen

**D.O.B**: September 25, 1991

**Current Location**: Forks, Washington

**School Name**: Forks High School

**People of Association**: Alice Cullen (Cousin), Edward Cullen (Cousin), Jasper Hale, Rosalie Hale

**Other:** Dating Rosalie Hale

The picture of Emmet showed a very muscular man that would have been very intimidating to anyone until they saw the look on his face. He had dimples in his cheeks and a goofy grin on his face that let you know he was just as harmless as a teddy bear. He had short curly brown hair

**Name**: Jasper Hale

**D.O.B**: November 3, 1991

**Current Location**: Forks, Washington

**School Name**: Forks High School

**People of Association**: Alice Cullen, Edward Cullen, Emmet Cullen, Rosalie Hale (Sister).

**Other:** Dating Alice Cullen

Jasper seemed like the calmest in the group so far and I can see how he would be the perfect match for Alice Cullen. He had long blonde hair that fell into his eyes which were blue.

**Name**: Rosalie Hale

**D.O.B**: November 3, 1991

**Current Location**: Forks, Washington

**School Name**: Forks High School

**People of Association**: Alice Cullen, Edward Cullen, Emmet Cullen, Jasper Hale (Brother)

**Other:** Dating Emmet Cullen

Rosalie looked like… well she looked… ok to tell you the truth she looked like a complete bitch. Her expression basically said "don't talk to me". She was gorgeous with bright blonde hair and a figure that a model would kill for.

**Name**: Tanya Denali

**D.O.B**: March 3, 1991

**Current Location**: Forks, Washington

**School Name**: Forks High School

**People of Association**: Edward Cullen, Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley

**Other:** Dating Edward Cullen

She had bleach blonde hair to her waist and obviously hung out with Jessica. She had makeup coating her face and a look on her face that I think she thought made her look sexy, but it was far from it.

There was a final note in bold at the bottom:

**You are to under no circumstances to EVER let any of the people you meet on this mission to know about the true purpose of why you are there. Good luck. **

I deleted the file, relying on my photographic memory to remember everything I just read and turned off my computer. I put my headphones in my ears but made sure to keep my eyes open this time, it would not be good if I fell asleep again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After another half hour or so the pilot told us that the plane would be landing soon and that the weather was actually nice in forks. I looked out the window

_Apparently they think that overcast is nice here_

Later I headed of the plane, seeing two other men practically dragging Jessica off to be questioned. I chuckled to myself and headed towards baggage claim to collect my other weapons and such.

Putting my three bags on a cart I wheeled it outside to catch a cab to Forks. I waved one down and got in.

When I told him where I wanted to go he grimaced, I gave him an apologetic smile and showed him that I had the money I had with me.

Once he saw my bundle of cash his whole demeanor changed and he started driving.

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A few hours later he pulled up to the house that I would be using as my base. My story was that I was new to forks with my "parents" but they are going to be out of town for the next few months. Which, to my agitation, is how long I'm supposed to be staying here.

I grabbed my bags and paid the taxi driver. I watched until he rounded the corner then went up to the front door. The house itself was cute, it had an off white paint job with white trimming around the edges. It was double storied and had minimal windows. It was perfect.

The house may have looked ordinary but it was far from it. The doorknob was a palm scanner that unlocked at my touch.

I looked around and walked into the living room that looked ordinary enough in case someone was to look through the front window. I decided to do a little exploring.

There was a fully stocked kitchen, a bathroom and a few closets. I saved the garage for last. I opened the door and felt my jaw drop.

Inside there was a brand new Maserati GranTurismo in silver. On the windshield there was an envelope with the keys and a note saying:

_You're Welcome_

After inspecting my new car I dragged the bags of weapons up the stairs. There were two rooms up there; one would be the room I slept in that was in fact just a regular room. And the other was a room with three high tech touch screen computers and room to store my weapons.

I went to the second room first because I didn't have much clothing yet; I was planning on going shopping soon.

In the second room I opened up the walk-in closet and saw to my satisfaction that there would be plenty of shelves to store all the different weapons I had.

After unloading everything from grenades to tasers that were provided by the Academy, I was exhausted. I set the alarm code and locked up the room then went across the hall to get some sleep.

I would need it; tomorrow I would be going to high school…again.

**A/N: Please Review! The more reviews I get, the faster I will update!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I woke up to my alarm clock blaring in my ear. Glancing at it read 6:15 A.M. I rolled off my bed and got up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

Before doing anything I decided to check out the school and my classes. After logging on my account on my laptop I easily hacked into the schools mainframe and pulled up my file. It read:

**Isabella Swan**

**Year 11**

**Period 1-History**

**Period 2- AP English**

**Period 3-Physical Education**

**Period 4-AP Calculus**

**Lunch**

**Period 5-AP Music**

**Period 6-Biology**

Next I pulled up Edward's schedule to notice that it was "magically" the same as mine. Satisfied I closed my computer.

I got up and headed towards the shower. I got in and used my favorite strawberry shampoo along with my freesia body wash.

Stepping out I grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry my hair, thoughts about the day to come flowing through my mind. I brushed my teeth and headed back to my room.

After putting on a bra and underwear I went to my weapons room across the hall. I deactivated the security system and walked into the closet containing all my weapons.

Flipping on the light switch I decided to start with my knives.

I grabbed my favorite throwing knives with 3 ½ inch long blades and strapped them to my forearms with special bands that allowed me to release the daggers into my hands when needed.

Next I went over to the shelves containing my guns. I grabbed one of my smaller ones and strapped it to my outer thigh.

Walking back across the hall to my room I put on a loose pair of black sweats so that my gun was concealed and a gray and black striped long sleeve shirt to hide my knives. Double checking to make sure that nothing was showing I threw on my grey zip up hoodie and pulled on my white vans.

After grabbing a rubber band to put in my hair sometime later (Believe me it is really hard to chase after someone with your hair flying in your face) I went downstairs into the kitchen and glanced at the clock; I only had a few minutes until I needed to leave. I grabbed a granola bar and five bucks to pay for lunch at school.

Grabbing my keys off the counter I went into the garage. The excitement of getting a new car hadn't worn out since I last saw the Maserati last night.

Climbing in a turned on the car and listened to the sweet sound of a motor that could go from 0-100 km/hr in a little over 5 seconds and has a top speed of almost 300 km/hr. The car itself was pretty low key as far as maseratis go. It's a nice car but it does stand out as bad as the others. I opened the garage door and grinned as I quickly backed out of the garage.

Knowing my driving, I was bound to make it to school in 5 minutes tops.

I arrived at the school and parked my car in an empty spot near the front office. I must have still been pretty early because there was hardly anyone there.

I looked up at the school expecting to see a lightning storm above it like in scary movies.

When my parents were alive I was in my freshman year at high school and fourteen years old. But once they died I dropped out and went into foster care. The Academy figured that because of all the reading I did and my test scores, I was smart enough to not have to continue my high school education and just come to the academy.

I was now seventeen and at the appropriate age to be in my junior year. The same year as Edward.

Making sure that I had my cell phone in my pocket (It would not be good if someone were to find it. Not that they would be able to access anything without my fingerprint) I got out of the car.

I walked over to the building labeled **Front Office** and opened the door, instantly being hit by a wave of heat.

I walked over to the counter to see a woman in her mid-forties with a name plate on the desk that read Mrs. Cope.

I cleared my throat loudly trying to take her attention away from her computer. She snapped her head in my direction with an annoyed look on her face until a look of curiosity replaced it.

"Hi, I'm the new student here, Isabella Swan." I said in a bored tone, wanting to get out of the stuffy room ASAP.

"Oh of course!" She said then quickly shuffled through some papers until she came up with the right ones.

"Here is your schedule, a map of the school and a paper with your locker number and combo." I grabbed the papers she handed over even though I knew that I wouldn't need any of them since I already knew what and where my classes were and that my locker number was 1023. Which was 'coincidentally" located two down from Edward's.

I turned to leave but she said "Oh wait! I almost forgot, here is a paper you need to get signed by all your teachers then return here by the end of the day"

"Great" I said sarcastically but she must have thought I was serious because she smiled at me and said "Have a great first day!" _ Uh huh…like that's going to happen_

I pushed open the door to a much fuller parking lot and a group of 5 boys surrounding my car practically drooling. Apparently my car wasn't as inconspicuous as I thought.

I sighed and walked over to them. "Excuse me but do you guys think that you can stop drooling over my car long enough for me to get in?"

At that all of them snapped their heads in my direction.

"This is your car!?! You own a frickin' Maserati!?! Do you have any idea how nice this car is!?!

"Yes I am aware of how nice my own car is. Now can you please move so I can get in?" I said a little exasperated now. They seemed to get the picture and slowly took a couple steps back as if they expected the car to disappear if they blinked.

I sighed, unlocked the car and got in. I backed up slowly to make sure that I didn't run over any of my car admirers.

I followed the other cars to the student lot and parked in another empty spot next to a silver Volvo which was the second nicest car next to mine.

I took a deep breath and got out.

_Okay now to find Edward_

I walked through the double doors into the schools hallway pretending to be studying my school map even though I already knew where everything was. Lots of people were staring and whispering, the word "new girl" came up quite a few times in their conversations. I ignored them and decided to head towards my locker, betting that this was where Edward was most likely to be before classes.

I was right; leaning against his locker was Edward Cullen. The person I was hired to protect and he was lip locked with none other then Tanya Denali his (Current) girlfriend, or so the file I read said. Her hands were behind his neck pulling him even closer then they already were, while his hands were on the small of her back. He didn't seem as eager to be kissing her as she did him.

All of the sudden he stopped kissing her and looked straight at me.

His picture didn't do him justice, he was beyond perfect. He was more of a god then a human and I felt something stirring in the pit of my stomach but I just told myself that it was from hunger.

As I got closer to him I noticed that his eyes were no longer the bright green that they were in the picture of him, but a now darker almost black color.

I looked away from his eyes to notice that Tanya was grabbing his head with both hands and puckering her lips, trying to get him to continue with what he was doing before he saw me.

I couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped from my mouth as I passed by, they scene was far too funny.

Tanya seemed to notice me for the first time and turned to glare at me.

If it wasn't for the fact that I could easily kill her before she even blinked I might have actually been intimidated. Her face was coated in makeup and she had bright red lipstick on, she matched her profile picture perfectly.

I just smiled back sweetly and strolled towards my first class, ignoring my locker for now.

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EPOV

I rolled over and hit the snooze button on my alarm clock which was flashing 6:45.

I groaned but got up all the same; grabbing the clothes I was planning on wearing today I headed to the bathroom to take my shower.

Once I got that taken care of I let my hair air dry, not even combing it. I was one of a very few number of guys who could pull off the "just rolled out of bed" look.

Heck, I could do anything with my hair and girls would still be all over me. But that's who I am. Edward Cullen, Mr. Popular and good looking. I was filthy rich and got all the girls I wanted. I pulled on a pair of baggy jeans, a t-shirt and a black zip up hoodie.

I was knocked out of my reverie by a loud knocking on my door.

"EDWARD CULLEN GET OUT HERE NOW!! WE HAVE TO GET TO SCHOOL!!!!" I would recognize the voice of my sister Alice anywhere.

She may be small but you do not want to get on her bad side, trust me.

I opened the door to see her fuming. "Why do you want to get to school so badly?" I asked her.

"Because I just have a good feeling about today." She responded.

"Whatever you say Alice." I said yawning, still not quite awake.

"Oh, that reminds me, can you tell me why I caught Tanya leaving the house at 1:30 in the morning!?!"

"Because I didn't want her to spend the night" I said in a smartass tone.

"Don't you have any decency, I mean you just broke up with Becky or whatever her name was four days ago."

"We didn't do anything, and besides it's not like dad cares." _It's not_ _like he ever cares_

"Whatever, just know that someday your actually going to fall for someone that and they won't actually fall for your cheesy pick up lines." She said poking me in the chest with her finger.

"Ha! Alice you are so funny. Like any girl can't fall for my charm." I said completely serious.

She pretended to gag and said, "Just meet me in the car in five minutes or else."

"Fine fine" I said as I closed the door in her face. I went over to my desk and grabbed my phone, noticing with a grimace that I had 8 missed calls from Tanya and 3 voice mails.

I don't even know why I'm dating her again; she's not even that good of a kisser. I've already dated all the good looking girls at our school, some of them twice.

I grabbed my black backpack and went downstairs and out the door to the driveway. Alice was already there tapping her foot impatiently by the side of my Volvo waiting for me to unlock it.

As soon as she heard the click of the doors being unlocked she hopped in and looked at me with an expression that pretty much said _I will kill you if you don't get in the car Right NOW!_

I sighed, got in and backed out of the driveway.

I loved my car more then any of my girlfriends, any trust me I've had a lot of them. My dad was an extremely rich CEO of a multimillion dollar company, thus allowing me to own any car of my choice.

My entire childhood he was never around, relying on the nannies he hired to take care of my sister and I. My mom died when I was little, she was the one that wanted kids and convinced my father to adopt Alice and me, but once she died my dad stopped being in our lives. He was never actually at home and I only saw him probably once every few weeks if I was lucky.

Maybe it was the lack of having real parents around that caused me to be the way I am: An egotistical player who dates girls only to dump them a weak later. Sometimes I wonder what kind of person I could be instead of what I am, but then I just go and hook up with another girl and forget about it.

"Maybe it's the fact that there's a new student today." Alice said quietly to herself.

"What do you mean, 'new student'?" I asked her with a confused expression, I hadn't heard anything about someone new coming.

"There's going to be someone new attending Forks high today. I don't know whether it's a guy or girl though." She said still looking out the window.

"Huh" Was my response as I pulled into the parking lot.

Alice seemed to snap out of her little self contemplation and jumped out of the car and started looking around, but soon frowned when she couldn't find what she was looking for.

"Damn, they're not here yet." She said now sulking.

"See this is what we get for getting here so early, we even beat the new kid." I said to her shaking my head.

"Ugh fine, I'm going to see if Jasper's here yet, I think I see his car over there." She waved goodbye and headed towards one of the classrooms.

I locked my car, making sure it beeped and headed towards the school. I decided to get some stuff from my locker before heading to history class.

As I was concentrating on entering my locker combo I felt two manicured hands over my eyes and a high nasally voice say; "Guess who!"

_hmm I wonder _I thought sarcastically

"Good morning Tanya." I said turning around to see a pout on her face that I'm sure was supposed to be cute but clearly wasn't, she was obviously upset that I managed to guess it was her. _ Well who else has a voice as annoying as yours?_

Before I could even get another word out her mouth was pressing on mine, I reluctantly let her keep kissing me, I put my hands on the small of her back and she wrapped her arms around my neck trying to press her body even closer to mine. _This is getting really tiring; I have got to end this relationship soon, she's getting really clingy._

I felt like someone was staring at me and looked up to see who it was and held back a gasp.

That's when I saw her; she had to be the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

It was like watching one of those slow motion movie scenes where the girl is walking in slow motion with her hair blowing back in the wind while all the guys stare after her longingly. Yep this was exactly like that as I noted that I wasn't the only guy staring at her.

She was staring right at me and it was like everyone else had disappeared and that it was just her and me, like there was some invisible cord pulling me towards her.

She had long brown, wavy hair that went to her mid back and a heart shaped face. The clothing she was wearing wasn't revealing at all but it still didn't deter from her natural beauty.

As she got closer I noticed that she had the most beautiful brown eyes that I seemed to drown in and full lips that were a light pink color. She wore no makeup but pulled it off unlike most girls. As I was noticing these features I felt a stirring in the pit of my stomach that I was sure wasn't from just kissing Tanya.

I was knocked out of my trance by the chuckle that escaped her mouth when she passed by me. Confused, I looked away and noticed that Tanya was glaring at her, her facial expression scared **ME **a little bit but when I looked at the beautiful girl again, she just smiled sweetly back at Tanya and kept walking until she rounded the corner.

As soon as she was out of sight, time seemed to kick back in motion and I looked around to see the most of the male student body staring in the direction that the girl just left practically drooling.

It was remarkably quiet until one of the guys asked "Who was **that**!?!"

Some of the other guys standing around shrugged, at a loss.

Then Alice came in having Jasper firmly in tow and skipped up to me.

"Hey Edward." She said, completely ignoring Tanya, who was still trying to get me to make out with her again. "Guess what!"

"What?" I said in a daze still thinking about the mysterious girl from before, staring off in the direction she went.

"The new girl-" My head snapped back to her face at the mention of this "-her name's Bella and she's in your first class."

_YES! Finally a new girl to date! I mean, come on she's got to be just like the other girls I've dated with looks like that. Right?_

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**A/N: REVIEW!!! SERIOUSLY THE MORE REVIEWS I GET, THE FASTER YOU WILL GET TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STORY!!! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I knocked quietly on the door to my History classroom and went in.

A man in his late forties looked up from his newspaper and said; "Ah, you must be Isabella Swan, the new student. _Great another student to fall asleep during my class_" He mumbled the last part to himself but with my good hearing I understood him.

I responded to the comment I was supposed to hear with a simple nod and walked closer to his desk. I needed him to sign the paper I had to return at the end of the day.

As I as I got closer I noticed that he was doing the daily crossword and he seemed to be stuck on one of them. I shoved the paper under his nose and he grumbled but took out a pen nonetheless.

While he was signing it I read the question upside down (A 6 letter word for an extremely powerful rifle developed for the military) and smiled at how easy the question was.

"Excuse me sir but I was wondering where I should sit, seeing as I'm new." I asked him in a smug tone.

"Anywhere is fine." He sighed, "I'm reassigning the student's new seats today anyways. Oh and Ms. Swan, I do not tolerate bad behavior in my classroom so choose you seat carefully." He told me in a strict tone.

I just raised an eyebrow, grabbed the paper from him and turned to leave.

Then remembering the crossword, I turned back around.

"Oh, and sir the word your looking for is 'sniper'." I told him pointing towards the crossword with a smug smile on my face.

He looked surprised and seemed to go over the word I told him in his head. He grumbled when he realized that I was correct and wrote in the answer.

Still smiling smugly I went and took a seat in the back of the classroom, just to piss him off.

I had a feeling that I wouldn't get along well with this teacher during my time at Forks High.

I had literally been in my seat for a minute when the bell rang; I gulped and got ready for my own personal hell.

The other students filed in but stopped in their tracks when they saw me sitting in the back.

They would look at the seating chart on the teacher's desk then shuffled to their new assigned seats, all the while still staring at me, occasionally whispering to their neighbors.

_Wow this is just like Meyer Academy, and these people don't even know who I am._

I noticed that a lot of the boys seemed to frown after they saw where the teacher had them sitting.

The seat next to me still continued to be unfilled, and I had a feeling I knew exactly who was going to be sitting in it.

And of course as soon as that thought went through my head Edward Cullen himself walked through the door seconds before the bell rang.

I immediately noticed that all the girls straightened and attempted to fix their hair or pulled out their mirrors to fix make up. I rolled my eyes at them and looked back at Edward.

His eyes roamed the classroom as if he was looking for someone, but they stopped once they settled on me. Once he saw me looking at him a crooked grin came on his face that only became more prominent once he saw that he was going to be sitting next to me.

Still grinning he walked over to the seat next to me and sat down, throwing his backpack on the floor.

I looked around to see I was getting glares from girls in every direction.

_Wow, hostile much._

Once everyone was settled in their new seats they started talking to the people around them.

Edward, still smirking, turned to me and said; "Hey, I'm Edward; but you probably already knew that, even though you're new."

_Are you serious? Could he get anymore egotistical?_

"mmhmm" I said slowly in response without looking at him.

He smiled and continued talking to me.

"Oh good so you have heard of me, I hear that all girls give me a good review after a day with me, or sometimes even night." He said then winked at me. I held back a gag.

"Oh they must have been talking about someone else, because all I see here is an egotistical jackass." I said finally looking at him, and then went back to scanning the room like before.

_Of course I get stuck with looking after the biggest jerk in Washington._

My answer seemed to shock him and the arrogant smile slowly started to fade from his face. And just when I thought he was finished talking to me a smug smile appeared on his face.

"So do you want to go out tonight? I can make it worth your while." He said suggestively still smiling like a smart ass.

I could not believe it. I mean he had to be joking!

"You have got to be kidding me!?!" I said turning to him. Besides who would date **me**?

A confused expression came over his face at my outburst. I had a feeling that no girl had ever actually rejected him before.

"Why?" He asked slowly "Are you a lesbian or something?"

"No, actually I'm just rejecting you. I'm telling you this because I can tell it doesn't happen to you often." I said gesturing to the girls who were openly staring at him daydreaming.

"Besides, I literally just saw you making out with some girl in the hallway!" I said to him in a ferocious hushed tone because people were starting to look this way.

And then the arrogant look came over his face again and he said; "Oh, so your jealous; don't worry it happens to girls all the time when I'm around a someone pretty."

He ran a hand through his hair and it made me wonder if it was as soft as it looked, but I snapped out of it by his next comment.

"Besides, you're obviously attracted to me, just playing hard to get." He said with a smirk leaning back in his chair.

I wanted so badly to wipe it off his face with my fist. But sadly I would probably end up killing him and that would be the opposite of my purpose for being here I thought with a sigh.

Instead I gritted my teeth and said; "Edward, I will **NOT** go out with you!!"

My outburst was met with silence and I looked around to see the entire class, minus the teacher who could care less, staring open mouthed at me.

All the girls were staring at me as if I just threw a diamond necklace in the trash, and all the guys were looking at me with shocked expressions on their faces. I swear you could hear a pin drop.

I sank into my seat with embarrassment and my face as red as a tomato. _What the hell did I just do, I never lose my temper like that._

Thank god the teacher came to my rescue by finally starting class.

I took notes quietly on what he was saying, while Edward just sat in his seat next to me staring straight forward. My rejection must have shocked him, for he seemed to be having a mental debate with himself.

This was how the rest of the period went by, Edward never said anything else but he would occasionally glance at me when he thought I wasn't looking.

Finally the bell rang and Edward sprinted out of the class before most people were even out of their seats.

I guess he doesn't know that I'm going to be in his next class too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I grabbed my stuff and sprinted out of the classroom as fast as I could.

I rushed into my next class, English, and sat down in my seat with a relieved sigh.

_She's got to be playing hard to get, I mean there's no other explanation. Yeah I bet when she said she wouldn't go out with me just to give other people the idea that she wasn't into me._

_But that's ridiculous I mean, who wouldn't be into me._

As I was thinking this, the object of my thoughts herself walked through the door and talked to the teacher.

_Yep by the end of today, she'll be eating out of the palm of my hand; just like every other girl at this school._

I couldn't put on my charm and try to dazzle her right now because she was sitting on the opposite side of the classroom from me.

And passing notes would also be incredibly difficult, if the teacher read some of the stuff I wanted to say to her; that would not be good.

So my plan was to treat her like all the other girls at this school, and pretty soon she'll just be another notch in my belt. Besides I like a good chase.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

Thank god Edward kept to himself during English; I don't think I could have taken anymore of what happened in History.

There was a ten minute break before our next class, PE. My favorite.

_Ahhh, finally somewhere to release my pent up frustration. Too bad about having to wear uniforms though._

That last thought stopped me short when I thought of the weapons that would become very visible if I was to wear shorts and a T-shirt.

After entering the gym I went straight towards the office that I assumed was for my teacher.

I knocked on the part way open door and heard a gruff "Come in"

I pushed the door open the rest of the way and was greeted by the sight of a man in his late thirties wearing a sweatshirt that read FORKS HIGH and blue track pants.

"Hi, I'm the new student Isabella Swan." I said.

"Nice to meet you, let me get you a uniform for the class."

He rummaged through some boxes on the floor of his office and handed me a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"Actually sir, I was wondering if I could have sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt instead." At his questioning look I continued "I get cold very easily"

He seemed to buy it and reluctantly dug in the boxes again.

He handed me a long sleeve t-shirt and sweatpants that both said Forks High in large letters.

"They're probably a little big for you; I'm usually giving the sweatpants to guys so I try to get larger sizes." He told me

"Oh, don't worry these will be perfect. Thank you." I replied heading out the door and making my way over to the locker room.

Once inside, I made my way over to my assigned locker and unlocked it.

I looked around to make sure that no one else was there then quickly started stripping the clothing covering up my weapons.

I heard distant chatter that was becoming louder each second and I quickly threw on the long sleeve shirt and pulled up the sweatpants. I got it all on just as the door burst open and Tanya and all her cronies piled in.

These girls were just as bad as the ones that made fun of me when I was in high school last time, before I was an agent. They were all spoiled and stuck up with multiple coats of makeup on.

They stopped once they got five feet from me.

"Oh look, it's the new girl." Tanya said in a nasally voice that made me want to cover my ears.

"Isn't she the one that turned down Edward." Said one of the girls that had followed her in.

This made Tanya angry, and I was reminded again that she was Edward's "current" girlfriend.

"Shut up Lauren; Edward didn't ask her out, she's just spreading pathetic rumors." Tanya said in response to the girls comment. Then she turned back to me with an icy glare.

"Listen new girl, your new-" _thank you, you already established that point _"-so I'm going to be nice and say this slowly. STAY-AWAY-FROM-EDWARD. He's mine."

Then a small bell-like voice came from behind Tanya; "Oh Tanya, give it a rest, we all know that Edward will just end up dumping you within the week."

"He will not! He just hasn't realized that I'm the perfect girl for him, and besides your just jealous because he wont date you." Tanya retorted.

"Ok Tanya, let me say this slowly so that even someone as thick headed as you will understand, EDWARD-IS-MY-BROTHER, it would be illegal for me to date him. Besides he only dates bimbos" Said the bell-like voice which I now realized belonged to Alice, the girl in the file I read.

Tanya seemed to have to think about what Alice said, then when she finally seemed to realize that she had been insulted she stormed over to the area where I assumed her locker was, followed by the other girls.

Now that Tanya was gone I finally got to see Alice, and then I understood why it was so hard to before. She was tiny.

Her face looked exactly like her picture but she must have been no taller then 5 feet.

She was very beautiful and skipped over to me with grace.

"Hi, I'm Alice!" She said in a bubbly voice.

"Bella." I said back in a simple tone that sounded pathetic after her peppy tone.

My spiritless tone didn't seem to faze her at all and she continued talking to me.

"Just ignore Tanya and her followers; they think they own the school." She said looking in the direction that the other girls just went.

I just stayed quiet, wondering why she was still talking to me, most people would have stopped by now. _She'll figure out sooner or later and avoid me like everyone else._

Then she turned to me with a questioning sparkle in her eye that immediately put me on my guard.

"So tell me, is it true?" She asked me in a simple tone looking down at her fingernails; even though her tone was innocent I could hear the dying curiosity in her voice.

"Is what true?" I said even though I knew exactly what she was talking about.

Completely dropping the subtle, innocent tactic she looked up at me and flat out said; "Is it true that you said no to Edward Cullen, my brother, the guy that everyone besides me thinks is a god, when he asked you out?"

Still a little apprehensive at what her response would be I simply nodded in response.

She surprised me even more when she tackled me with a hug.

I had never been hugged before so I just stood there with my arms at my sides and a shocked expression on my face.

She stopped hugging me when she realized that I wasn't hugging back and probably wasn't comfortable with her hugging me.

"Sorry, it's just that, no one has **ever** rejected Edward. And I'm so happy to have finally found some one that he hasn't corrupted with his supposedly irresistible charm." She told me smiling.

"Thank god you're in my class; I was going insane with the blonde bimbos and my brother annoying me." She said with a scowl "But now I have you, and I can tell we're going to be good friends." She said smiling at me.

"Okay" I said warily.

"Oh shoot! The bell is about to ring!" She said then scurried over to her locker which was a few down from mine and threw her clothes on. She then grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the locker room.

The class had about twenty people, most of them being boys.

I saw Edward leaning against the gym wall talking to some friends and Tanya with her cronies sitting on the bleachers trying to get his attention. They were failing miserably.

Edward was wearing the school logo shirt that was tight enough to show off the muscles on his chest and arms; I hate to say it, but Edward looked good. Tanya and her followers were a different matter altogether.

The uniforms they were wearing were more like Victoria secret lingerie. Their shorts were so small; you might as well have called it underwear. And the shirts were cut to show off their stomachs.

I saw Alice roll her eyes at them, and then she dragged me to the other side of the bleachers and sat me down next to her.

She turned to me and said; "I knew this was going to happen! I knew that some day, someone was going to reject him! I am so happy! He's had his own head up his butt for too long now and he needs to get a clue! He's actually a really good guy once you get to know him, it's just that he would rather make out with girls then talk to them."

She said all this in a rush and I was having a hard time following her so I just sat there with wide eyes as she continued talking without even taking a breath.

"Uh oh, now I bet he thinks that you're just playing hard to get. This is bad, now he's going to act like an even bigger jerk towards you then before. But I can totally see why he would want to ask you out" She ended looking at me expectantly.

What she said confused me; "What do you mean 'I can see why he would want to ask you out'?"

She rolled her eyes and gestured to me with her hand like it was supposed to mean something. When she saw that I didn't see what she was getting at she said; "You don't see yourself clearly, do you?"

I just answered her with another confused look; she was about to keep going but the PE teacher walked in to start the class.

"Alright listen up, we are going to be playing volleyball today; but first I want you guys to run four laps around the gym."

_Wow, this must be a nice teacher; he hardly makes them run at all_

However, my thoughts were contradicted by the sound of all the other students groaning and slowly getting up from where they were sitting.

"Watch out Bella, Edward and the other guys are going to use this as an opportunity to show off in front of you." Alice whispered to me.

And sure enough Edward passed by me, followed by his group of friends, and smiled that confident smug smile.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty fast myself." I said getting up and heading to the starting line with Alice following behind me with a suspicious expression on her face.

I noticed that we were the only two girls who were going to run and that the other girls were still sitting on the bleachers playing with their hair.

There were about twelve people running total and we all lined up ready for the coach to give us the starting signal.

Edward decided to annoy me some more and stood right next to me.

"Hey Bella, are you sure you don't want to go sit in the bleachers with the other girls. I'm sure the view of me is much better from up there." He said in an arrogant tone.

Alice saved me from giving her brother a black eye by stepping in; "Edward, get over yourself and stop treating Bella like a bimbo."

I couldn't stop myself from saying something in response to his comment though.

"Oh, don't worry Edward I'm sure my view will be fine from down here. Anyone can spot your ego from a mile away." I retorted

He scowled and Alice smiled even bigger then before.

The teacher blew the whistle and we were off.

Edward was really fast, his strides were long and graceful, almost cat like. He obviously ran a lot or was part of some school sports team. Yep, he was definitely fast.

But I was faster.

My strides weren't as long as his but they were much quicker. Without pushing myself to my full running potential I stayed close behind him, patiently waiting until the perfect moment.

We had left the rest of the class in the dust and pretty soon we were on our second lap.

Edward still had no idea that I was right behind him, and when he turned his head to see where I was, he got a little surprised.

The expression on his face was priceless when he realized that I wasn't extremely far behind like he expected me to be.

I felt that this was as good a time as any to pass him and picked up the speed.

He watched, shocked as I quickly grew level with him, and then passed him altogether.

I finished up the remaining laps in no time and leaned against the gym wall, barely out of breath from the run. The coach was looking at his timer with wide eyes, not believing that I could run that fast.

_Maybe I shouldn't have run as fast as I did. _

Edward finished up fairly soon after me, but he was being a sore loser and went and sat on the bleachers, his plan to impress me having backfired.

_Then again, I think it was worth it._

Alice walked over to me, out of breath, after a few more minutes with an expression of awe on her face

"How did you do that!?! That was incredible!!!" She asked me with wide eyes.

"Do what?" I decided to play dumb and see if I could blow it off as no big deal.

"Don't play dumb with me! You just beat Edward at running! He's the fastest runner at our school!" She yelled at me. I then noticed that a lot of the other students in the class were also staring at me in awe.

I just shrugged because I couldn't think of a good answer at the moment.

"Ok, so like I said before, we're going to be playing volleyball. I'm going to split you into two teams of 6."

The teams ended up being me, Alice, and four other guys that Alice pointed out to me as Mike, Tyler, Ben and Eric. Edward was on the other team with five other guys whose names didn't matter to me. And of course Tanya and her cronies just stayed in the stands cheering Edward on.

The game was pretty mellow until the rotation had me at the front near the net, facing Edward.

The arrogant smile that I hated so much was back on his face. And I was afraid that something he said was going to make the job of keeping him alive, really hard.

"So Bella, I see that you chose the nice uniform, I would have much rather seen you in the shorts." He said smirking at me; "Or better yet, nothing at all."

I tried to ignore him and gritted my teeth to stop my temper from flaring. He was talking quiet enough that no one could hear except for me. The volleyball was sailing over both our heads.

"During the race, when I let you get ahead of me, it was so that I could see if the view of your behind was as good as the view facing you." He said smirking; "And it was."

This made me angry and it took all the restraint I had to stop from launching at him and using him for a punching bag.

"You know, we could skip next period and spend it in the janitors closet. I'm sure I could find something fun for us to do." He said with a wink, the smirk still prominent on his face.

That last comment was the final straw. I had to wipe that smirk off his face.

Edward's team had easily received a serve from Mike and hit it back over to our side. Tyler then received it and bumped it upwards.

The adrenaline was pumping through my veins as I ran, jumped and spiked the ball as hard as I could.

My aim was true, as the ball hit Edward in the face with a loud smack.

I smiled triumphantly, doing a victory dance in my head, as I saw that the smirk was indeed gone from his face. It was instead replaced by one of frustration, fury and embarrassment.

All the other guys were laughing, clutching their sides; while all the girls were trying to comfort Edward from the stands, talking about how cruel I was. Alice was the only girl that was laughing right along with the guys.

The bell rang and I ran to the locker room so that I could change before anyone saw my weapons.

As the door was closing I saw one of the guys on Edwards team say "I like her, don't you Edward?" Edwards's response to this was to growl at him, which just set them off laughing again.

**A/N: REVIEW!!! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I walked out of the gym with my regular clothes back on and started heading towards my calculus class.

I stopped when I heard a small voice calling my name that was getting louder and louder.

I turned around to see Alice running as fast as her short legs would let her towards me.

She finally caught up to me, breathing heavily from her short run, and put a hand on my shoulder to steady herself.

"You…walk too…fast." She panted

I simply smiled back at her, not wanting to stay on the topic of how fit and athletic I am.

Once she caught her breath we started walking down the hall again.

"So, what class do you have next?" She asked me in a cheery voice that I would have thought annoying had it not matched her personality perfectly.

"Calculus." I said simply, I inwardly grimaced at my habit of answering blandly.

My answer seemed to excite her though, for her eyes widened and she squealed, drawing attention from many people passing by us.

"Me too! Yay! Now I have someone exciting to talk to!!!" She said, now practically dancing her way to the right classroom. I had to pick up my speed to keep up with her.

_Does she ever run out of energy?_

As we were walking in the classroom she turned to me and whispered; "I hate to tell you this but my brother is in this class with us." She said scrunching up her face like she smelled something bad.

"Huh, you don't say." I said with innocence, fully aware that I was going to be in every single class of Edward's.

Then she seemed to remember something and her face brightened. I gave her a questioning look, asking what the sudden mood change was about.

Still smiling she said; "I just remembered that he isn't going to be in calculus today, and I have you to thank for it!"

At my still confused expression she elaborated.

"He told me that he had to go to the nurse's office because he's had a major migraine ever since PE. You sure didn't go easy on him during volleyball." She told me, now in a fit of hysterics.

I gave her a fake smile but grimaced on the inside. I would be in so much trouble if word ever got back to the Academy.

After having the teacher sign my paper, Alice dragged me to the back row and sat me down next to her.

The class was basic calculus and I followed the teacher's lecture easily, but I could tell that others weren't having the same experience as me.

Alice was pretty smart and barely ever struggled with any of the problems. I guessed that she was at the top of the class.

We had finished the assigned class work early and were sitting there while we waited for the rest of the class to finish up.

I was looking around the room when I felt Alice's eyes on me.

I turned and found her inspecting my clothing carefully; it seemed she was not too fond of my sweatpants.

"What?" I asked I liked my sweatpants; they're a lot easier to run in then jeans.

"I need to take you shopping." She said, now finished with her inspection.

She didn't give me time to refuse and quickly changed the subject.

"You should eat with me and friends during lunch today!" She said cheerily.

"Ummm…I was just planning on eating by myself; I don't want to be a bother." I said quietly.

"Don't be silly, you won't be a bother at all; besides I want to introduce you to my boyfriend, Jasper." She told me.

"Okay." I said back quietly.

I still didn't understand why she was being so friendly towards me.

People at the Academy avoided me because they were afraid of me. And every where else I was just ignored.

I decided to find out, because I really was curious.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked in a quiet voice

She laughed and said; "Why wouldn't I be nice to you?"

I shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"You've had people be nice to you before, why is it such a big surprise now?" She asked jokingly all the while laughing and smiling.

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything; I just looked straight back at her.

She noticed this and stopped laughing and her smile was slowly starting to fade.

"I mean come on, people have had to be nice to you at some point; what about your friends?" She asked in a more serious but with a hint of hope tone.

Just like before I stared back at her, at a loss.

"You mean to tell me that you've never had friends before?" She asked quietly, the smile now completely gone from her face.

I just looked at her and shook my head slowly.

"None at all." She whispered to me sadly.

I just shrugged and looked away, not knowing what to really think at the moment.

It's impossible to feel sad about something that you've never had before.

The expression on her face was so sad that I immediately felt bad about telling her.

I don't even know why I told her the truth. I lie all the time; heck, my whole life is a lie! But I just couldn't help but trust her, knowing that in the end it will probably come back to bite me.

"Well in that case." She said and I turned my head back to her. "You are definitely eating lunch with me."

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Alice and I walked into the cafeteria; well it was more like dragged for me. Alice was really excited about me meeting her friends.

However, instead of taking me to the table straight away like I expected she tugged me over to the food line.

I followed her lead and grabbed a tray while we shuffled down the line.

"Hey Alice? Do you mind not telling any of your friends what I told you in calculus?" I asked her. The last thing I wanted was more pity.

"Of course not, if you don't want me to tell anyone then I won't." She said sincerely, giving me a small smile while grabbing a sandwich off the counter and placing it on her tray.

I just grabbed an apple, I wasn't that hungry.

She led me over to a table near the back of the cafeteria and waved to her friends.

She sat me down next to her and started the introductions.

"Hey everybody this is Bella, she's new here." She said gesturing towards me with her hand.

"This is Emmet, Rosalie and my boyfriend, Jasper." She said pointing to each person in turn, unaware that I already knew who they were.

Emmett's size was just as intimidating as his picture but the dimples and goofy smile gave away what a softie he was. He offered me a handshake which I returned with a smile.

I turned to look at Rosalie, only to find her giving me an icy glare. I mentally shrugged. _I'm used to it anyways._

Lastly I turned to Jasper to see him giving me a soft, friendly smile which I returned in the same manner.

I started eating my apple in silence, letting my mind wander.

"So Bella, where did you move from?" Emmet asked me.

"California" I replied looking at him.

He seemed a little deterred by my brief answer and didn't ask me any more questions.

It was pretty quiet at our table, well except for Alice she was talking to Jasper and trying to draw me into the conversation, without much success.

I was facing the wall, sitting next to Alice while the other three were able to look around the entire cafeteria. About ten minutes into lunch Emmet started laughing, looking at something behind me.

Curious, I turned around to see none other then Edward. The reason Emmet was laughing was because Edward had the lines that were obviously from a volleyball imprinted onto his face. And half of his face was still red from the impact of the ball.

He didn't look too happy; and just because I couldn't resist, I decided to play with him.

"Hey Edward, how's your headache doing?" I asked barely concealing the smile that was trying to break across my face. Alice started cracking up next to me while the other three sat there confused.

In response he just turned to me and glared, not saying a word.

"What happened?" Emmet asked still smiling; "Did Mike finally decide to get back at you for stealing all the girls." He finished barely controlling his laughter.

"No" Alice started but she couldn't finish her sentence because she was laughing too hard; so instead she just pointed at me.

Emmet was also laughing too hard so he just high fived me across the table. Even Jasper was shaking with silent laughter and Rosalie had a small smile on her face.

Edward's scowl became more prominent and he took the only seat available, next to me.

The laughter was starting to die down, except for Emmet who was still chuckling for another few minutes, occasionally glancing at Edward.

I just sat there eating my apple, thinking about nothing in particular. Alice had stopped trying to include me in the conversation a while ago, leaving me to my own thoughts.

Edward started eating his lunch which consisted of a sandwich, an apple and a diet soda. Emmet was talking to Alice about something, moving his hands around, when he knocked Edward's apple off his tray.

I watched as the apple rolled off the table and onto the floor; I had to resist all of my instincts screaming at me to snatch it before it fell.

The apple had rolled and landed near my foot and Edward leaned down to grab it. All of the sudden he felt very close.

I could smell his scent; it was like he was wearing natural cologne that you couldn't buy in a store. He kept his eyes on me while he was reaching down.

It seemed like time was going in slow motion, like we had been looking at each other for hours when really it was just a few seconds.

He finally grabbed the apple and leaned back to his normal position, giving me a small smirk.

The return to his usual self knocked me back into reality and I quickly turned away, biting into my apple.

Alice glanced back and forth between Edward and me, then gave me a knowing look, which I promptly ignored.

Not much talking was going on and there was only a few minutes left until lunch was over.

I had finished my apple and was now just sitting there, trying not to lose coherency by just sitting next to Edward.

"EDDIE!!!" I would recognize that voice anywhere, Tanya.

Edward grumbled something next to me about being called Eddie but got up all the same.

I couldn't help but notice that he didn't look to happy to see his girlfriend.

"Eddie, why are you sitting next to _her_?" She asked pointing at me and scrunching up her nose.

I swear I heard Alice growl.

Edward merely grumbled, not responding and guided Tanya out the cafeteria doors.

Emmett broke the silence by saying; "Well that was a weird lunch." And Alice nodded in agreement.

"How so?" I asked looking at both of them.

"Usually he has Tanya or some other girl on his lap the entire time while they trade spit." He said with a grimace.

Alice gave me that same knowing look, but luckily I was saved by the lunch bell ringing.

I grabbed my stuff and headed out of the cafeteria; lots of people were still staring at me and whispering like this morning, so I tried to get out of there quickly.

The halls were pretty full so it took me a while to get me to my next class.

I walked into the music room and was surprised at what I saw. There was a small room with a few chairs, with six or seven doors leading off into more rooms.

There was a man sitting behind a small desk reading a book. I assumed that he was the teacher; it was kind of hard to tell.

I approached him and introduced myself.

"Umm, hi I'm Isabella, I'm new here." I said shyly.

He put his book down with a smile and looked at me.

"Well, it's nice to meet you; I'm going to be your music teacher for this semester." He responded.

I nodded back at him in understanding and looked around the room, wondering what I should do.

He seemed to sense my unease and said; "The other students are in the practice rooms at the moment." Edward must already be here then. "It's not a big class we have about seven students, well now we have eight thanks to you." He seemed pleased at the idea of an even number.

"Do you play an instrument?" He asked me.

I shook my head no. I was planning on just playing the triangle or something for this class.

"Ok then you can just sit in this room for today, until we figure out what would be best for you." He said warmly. He seemed like a very nice man that I could see myself getting along with.

I nodded again and sat down in one of the leather chairs that were against the wall.

Occasionally a student would come in, greet the teacher then go into a specific room.

I didn't feel like just sitting there for an hour so I pulled out my ipod and asked him if I could use it. When he responded with a nod my fondness of him increased.

I put on my classical and sank deeper into my chair.

I must have fallen asleep because I was woken up by the ringing of the bell. I pulled my headphones out of my ears and started packing up my ipod when Edward came out of one of the rooms.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw me and a suspicious look came across his face.

"Are you stalking me or something?" He asked me with a smile tugging at his lips. I noticed that the volleyball lines were starting to fade from his face.

"That depends, what class do you have next?" I asked playing along.

"Biology." He said smugly, as if he didn't expect me to be smart enough to be in that class.

"Then yes, I am stalking you." I said getting up and walking out of the room.

Thanks to my fast walking, it wasn't until I reached the classroom that he caught up to me.

"You know, I think that you asked the school to put you in all my classes, because you couldn't stand to stay away from me." He said dramatically with that arrogant smirk on his face.

_He's close with the asking for his classes, but far from the truth with the second part_. I thought with annoyance.

His smirk became more prominent at my silence and he headed to the back of the classroom to his assigned seat.

I went up to the teacher and gave him my slip to sign.

_Finally, the last class of the day._ I thought with a sigh.

After my sheet was signed the teacher told me to go sit in the only vacant seat.

I should have suspected that the only seat available would be next to Edward.

I grumbled but knew that there was no other solution, although I'm sure any other girl at this school would be more then happy to sit next to Edward for a full hour.

I dragged my bag over to the seat next to him and sat down on the stool. I looked up to the expected glares of the other girls in the class.

I was getting really tired of it and it hadn't even been a full day yet.

I sighed and rested my head on the desk and closed my eyes, trying to block out all the nasty comments that I could hear the other girls saying.

_I really should be used to it all by now. This isn't exactly the first time I've been ridiculed._

"Hey Bella is my charm making you so weak that you have to take a nap?" Edward taunted me.

"Shut up Edward." I retorted, still keeping my eyes closed.

However my rest time was cut short by the teacher calling on me.

"Isabella, can you tell me what phase this is." The teacher asked me smugly, having caught me off guard. A lot of the other students were snickering at me for falling asleep and being called on.

I looked up at the slide he had put on the over head of the different phases of mitosis.

Without even hesitating I answered; "prophase." He looked shocked that I actually got it right and cleared his throat uncomfortably looking for the next person to call on.

Satisfied that he wasn't going to call on me again, I resumed my previous action of resting my head on the table.

I spent the next fifty minutes trying to stay awake and not drool on the table.

The teacher never called on me again thankfully, afraid that I might outsmart him again.

There was only a couple minutes left of class when I felt a hand on my thigh. I didn't need to look up to know who it was.

_He has got to be kidding me. He must think that I'm asleep and can't feel him doing it._

"Edward, get you hand off me." I said in a vicious, hushed tone.

My warning seemed to have the opposite effect because his hand just traveled higher a few inches.

I wasn't very worried about the fact that he was touching me; I was more worried about the fact that he was only a few inches away from the gun that was strapped to my thigh.

I started to panic a little when his hand went another inch higher, because there are only so many excuses you can make up for having a loaded weapon strapped to your leg; and none of mine were very good.

"Edward, move your hand off my thigh or I will remove it for you. And trust me it will hurt less if you do it yourself." I warned him again in a ferociously hushed tone.

"I don't know Bella" He taunted moving his hand even higher; "I think you like my han-"

He didn't get to finish whatever comment he was going to say because I kicked my leg out and slammed his chair.

Not only did this cause his hand to no longer be on my thigh; but I kicked the chair hard enough for his body to slam into the table leg…where it hurts guys the most.

He groaned in pain and I just smiled sweetly gathering my stuff together as the bell rang.

Edward was still obviously in pain from having his crotch slammed into the table, because he hadn't moved from the position he was in.

I leaned over him and said quietly; "That's twice today Edward, for your sake you probably don't want to risk aggravating me a third time." I smiled smugly, grabbed my bag and walked out of the classroom.

Walking into the parking lot with the smile still on my face, I headed towards my Maserati.

As I got closer to my car I noticed Alice leaning against the silver Volvo that I assumed belonged to her brother.

"Why are you so happy?" She asked me, smiling herself.

"Oh don't worry I'm sure you'll hear all about it." I said as I saw Edward limp out of the school doors.

I unlocked the door and got in. I backed up out of the space quickly and sped out of the parking lot, drawing attention from many people.

_Well at least the day ended well._

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EPOV

I hobbled out of the school's front door into the student parking lot, grimacing with each uncomfortable step.

At the sound of tires screeching I looked up to see Bella speeding out of the lot in her Maserati.

_She is definitely not like other girls_

I finally made it over to my car to see Alice giving me a questioning glance and opened her mouth to say something.

"Don't ask." I said getting in the car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: REVIEW!!! IF I GET ENOUGH REVIEWS I MAY UPDATE SOONER THEN YOU THINK!!!! I'VE ALREADY STARTED THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I pulled into the garage of my house and got out of the car.

I locked it making sure it beeped and headed inside.

Dropping my keys on the counter I went into the kitchen to find something to eat; instead what I found was a package on the counter. This immediately put me on my guard.

My suspicion heightened when my cell phone started ringing.

I answered it; "Hello"

"Don't be alarmed Agent Swan." I breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Aro's voice and the screen that popped up on my screen saying that it truly was Aro.

"You don't expect me to freak out when there is a mysterious package on my kitchen counter that wasn't there this morning?" I asked still a little angry.

"Don't worry; it's just some upgrades we thought you should have." He told me, trying to calm me down.

I slowly went over to the box, taking my time. I heard Aro sigh on the other line.

"Isabella, just open it." He sighed.

Still uneasy I opened the box; and found that the contents were disappointingly not as dramatic as I had hoped.

I pulled out a shiny silver cell phone that was as thin as a piece of cardboard and the size of a credit card.

"The phone that you just pulled out is the absolute latest technology that the Academy whipped up; in fact you're the first person to get one. This one not only makes you scan your finger to turn it on, but you also have to put in your agent ID number. We thought that your old phone lacked security that you may need during this mission." He said while I examined the new phone.

"It's indestructible, completely touch screen and has faster internet then a super computer." He continued, obviously excited about the new product.

"Oh and it also includes something special for this case. It has a built in GPS tracker system that allows you to find out where three microchips are located on a pull up screen. This way you can keep track of your person at all times without them knowing it."

"Awesome" I said only slightly sarcastically, it was actually pretty cool.

"Now, the other thing in the box." He said, "It's a new security system for you to install in your weapons room. We felt that your security was not good enough and if someone were to get a hold of those, you would not be in a good position. It's similar to your new phone's security but also involves a body scan"

I nodded but then remembered that he couldn't see me and said; "Alright, I'll install it ASAP."

"Good, and one more thing Agent Swan. We have no idea who exactly is out there that is working against us. So in order to make sure that everything goes okay, we stationed someone from the Academy in Port Angeles. They're close enough to help you if you're in need back up. There is a button on the back of your phone that you will see if you take off what looks like a battery cover." He told me.

I did what he instructed by taking off the back part of the silver phone, and saw a red button that said PUSH IN EMERGENCY.

"By pushing this button, the agent that is stationed in Port Angeles will be alerted and immediately come to help you. It is very important that you do not press it by accident."

"Alright, I'll be careful. So, how am I supposed to get these microchips on Edward?" I asked, examining the three tiny chips that were in the box.

He just laughed and said; "I'm sure you'll figure something out Agent Swan."

I heard the click of him hanging up and hung up my own phone.

_Well I guess I won't be needing this anymore_ I thought, looking at my old phone.

I turned on my new phone to make sure that everything was okay with it.

Once I was satisfied I pocketed it and grabbed the box containing my new security system.

It only took me a few minutes to take out the old one and install the new system on the inside of the weapons storage room.

Once that was done I pulled out my old phone and examined it, then glanced at my weapons closet, a wicked smile growing on my face.

I opened the closet and started searching for something suitable.

_Grenade, no too loud; machete, no won't cut through; Aha! This will work!_ I thought as I held up a large metal mallet.

_Why do I have this in here anyways? _I thought with a shrug.

I shouldered the mallet and headed outside to the backyard.

I set my old phone on the cement ground.

"It wasn't actually a bad phone." I said quietly to myself looking at it. Too bad I had to make sure that no one would ever access the information on it.

I grabbed the mallet with both hands and brought it down on the phone. I heard a large crack and knew that no one would ever be able to turn it on again.

I picked up the pieces of my old phone, making sure that the memory card was in more pieces then one and discarded them in the trash bin.

At a loss of what to do, I sat in my living room to watch some TV.

I still had a few hours until nighttime, and I needed it to be dark if I was going to check out the Cullen house tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

The drive home was fairly quiet, though I could tell that Alice was just about dying of curiosity.

"She did something didn't she?" Alice asked with a knowing smile, breaking the silence.

"Who?" I asked, just to aggravate her; and plus I didn't really want to stay on this topic.

Annoyed she turned her entire body in her seat to face me.

"You know exactly who, Bella of course." She said, her curiosity practically coming off of her in waves.

At Bella's name my hands tightened on the steering wheel. Alice noticed this and said; "You must have done something really stupid." She said in an angry tone.

I just grumbled something unintelligent and stared at the road.

With my good driving we made it home in no time.

I pulled into the garage and pulled the key out of the ignition with a sigh.

I opened the door and stepped out of the car with a groan, it still hurt like hell.

Alice noticed my uncomfortable waddle, and a look of understanding came over her face which was then followed by a smug one.

I knew she had figured it out when she said; "I take it your not going to invite Tanya over for some fun tonight." She laughed, enjoying my discomfort.

"I bet you thought that you would have Bella wrapped around your finger by the end of the day. I hate to break it to you, but I don't think she's going to be making out with you anytime soon looking at all the injuries she's given you today." Alice said with a smile shaking her head.

"Oh, don't worry Alice, she's just playing hard to get, but pretty soon she'll be begging to be with me." I said in a tone that even sounded egotistical to my own ears

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I turned off the TV around eleven o'clock. Thinking that by the time I got ready and drove over to the Cullen's they would all be asleep.

I went upstairs and went to my bedroom.

I put on a pair of tight black pants that were still flexible and a long sleeved black shirt and threw on my black vans.

I still had on my weapons so I didn't need to make a trip to the storage room.

I jogged down the stairs putting my hair into a tight ponytail and throwing my black messenger bag across my shoulder.

Looking around to make sure that I wasn't forgetting anything I spotted my cell phone and the three microchips.

I pocketed my cell phone and put the three microchips into my bag. Other stuff in my bag included: lock picks, flashlight, and a pocketknife.

Once I was all set I grabbed my keys off the counter and headed into the garage.

I smiled as I got into my Maserati, still psyched about getting a new car, and started the engine. I pulled out of the driveway and sped down the road quietly. I opened up my phone and turned on the GPS, letting it lead me to their house.

I made sure to park my car a ways away from the house, just in case.

Getting out I started the few minute walk to their house being very careful to stay quiet.

The chances of me getting spotted in the outfit I was wearing were pretty slim, especially since their house was practically in the middle of the woods.

When I first caught sight of their house, I stopped short. To call it a house would not be accurate.

It was huge!

As I got closer I started to notice the finer details. It was an old styled house with a white paint job and a garden that was obviously well taken care of. It was obvious that the Cullen's had a lot of money, and by the looks of things they didn't have a problem spending it.

I stopped to think about how I would get inside. A house this big probably has a security system on the front door, so that was out of the question.

_But they probably don't have one for the garage door._

With that thought I headed towards the side door that leads to the garage.

Using my lock picking skills I got in easily.

I looked around the garage immediately recognizing the Volvo from earlier today. There was also a yellow Porsche next to the Volvo that I guessed belonged to Alice. There was an empty spot to the left of the Porsche; _must be their father's spot._

I went across the garage to the door that obviously leads to their house.

Reminding myself to be extremely quiet, I slowly cracked the door open to check if the coast was clear.

Once I made sure that no one was indeed there I opened the door the rest of the way and slipped inside.

I marveled at the size of the inside of the house, the style was very old fashioned but matched the outside very nicely.

_Mr. Cullen must be very rich to have such a nice home._

The reason I was creeping around their home in the first place was in case of an emergency.

If something happened to Edward here, I needed to know where everything is and how to access it.

The other reason I was there was to possibly figure out why Edward would need protection in the first place.

I walked around the downstairs and found nothing except a fully stocked kitchen, a family room, and a large dining room.

I assumed that none of them slept on the first floor so I quietly crept up the stairs, years of training helping me stay quiet and unnoticeable.

At the top of the stairs was a narrow hallway with multiple doors on either side.

The first few doors I tried were coat closets and a laundry room.

I tried the third one down on the right side to find that it truly was a bedroom.

This was where I had to be extremely careful; one wrong move could blow my cover.

It was pretty dark in the room but the moonlight coming in through the window gave me enough light to work with.

As my eyes adjusted I realized that everything was decked out in pink.

_I really hope this isn't Edward's room._

To make sure, I looked at the bed and found that the sleeping form was Alice.

She was bundled up in a pink comforter and surrounded by pink pillows.

I grimaced at the sight.

_I hate pink_

I poked around for a bit, but didn't find anything interesting besides the millions of shopping bags that littered her floor.

It was like a mine field of clothes! I had to be careful where I stepped, occasionally dodging the stiletto heel that would be on the floor

Coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to find anything interesting I left her room and went out into the hall again.

I closed the door quietly and continued on my way down the hall.

I decided that the door at the very end of the hall looked the most promising and went to check it out.

I cracked it open and crept inside; I was surprised to find it empty.

_Well that explains the missing car; this must be Mr. Cullen's room._

It was a fairly simple room; it was obviously missing a woman's touch.

Aro had told me back at the academy that Edward's mother died in a car accident when he was only a little kid.

I looked around the room and found nothing out of the ordinary.

There was a door on the other side of the room that I discovered lead to a small office.

Going in I closed the door behind me quietly, finally finding something interesting. Since there was no one in here I pulled out my flashlight.

I sat at the desk and started going through the drawers. There was no computer in the room so I assumed that he just took it with him.

I opened the bottom right drawer to find it full of folders.

Taking out one of them I opened it up and started reading the papers inside.

I noticed that there seemed to be a pattern and that every few pages or so a name would come up with a large sum of money next to it.

I looked in the drawer again and pulled out the bottom folder.

Opening it up I realized that it was similar to the other one except these names had a large red stamp on it that said "PAID" in big bold letters.

_Apparently Mr. Cullen owes some people a lot of money_.

I took out my phone and snapped pictures of all the names that didn't have the paid stamp on it. I sent the pictures to the academy as a list of possible subjects.

My guess was that one of these people decided that they wanted their money faster and threatened Mr. Cullen. They figured that if they killed Edward then Mr. Cullen would come to his senses and pay them back.

Now the only question is, which person is it; there must be at least a half a dozen names. And why wouldn't Mr. Cullen be able to pay them back, he obviously has a lot of money.

I continued searching through the drawers hoping to find more information.

I came across a folder labeled Cullen Enterprises. Recognizing this as Mr. Cullen's company I opened it.

It had the monthly income for the company, and by the looks of things his company was doing very well.

_Maybe he blew a lot of the money on something. _

_Well it doesn't look like I'm going to find any more information in here. _ I thought, getting up from the chair.

I put everything back just the way I found it, covering my tracks.

I left his office and bedroom, returning the main hall.

There was only one door left and I assumed it was Edward's.

I cracked it open and peeked inside.

I didn't see any movement so I opened it further and crept in.

I was surprised at what I saw, usually teenage boy's rooms are messy and unorganized, but Edward's was fairly clean.

His room was mostly decorated with black and gold colors.

He had a black couch against the back wall, dark gold wall paper and a black comforter.

I stopped in my tracks as I examined the last part.

His bed was empty!

That was not good, if he were to come back to bed and find me in his room, I couldn't even begin to think of a good excuse.

However, I had to get the job done, and I didn't want to have to make a second trip back to their home.

I sneaked around even quieter then before, looking around at everything.

One of his walls was completely covered with CD's and I went over to take a closer look.

I expected it to be rap or rock so I was pretty surprised when the first CD I pulled out was classical.

Curious as to what else he might have I pulled out a few more.

I must not have been thinking very well because when I pulled out the other ones, it caused a few to slip off the shelves.

I lunged, catching them a millimeter away from hitting the hard wood floor, mentally slapping myself on the forehead.

I breathed out the breath I had been holding and decided that it would be better if I just put the CD's back.

I made sure that they were in the same order then turned around to keep looking around.

I noticed an electric keyboard in the corner, explaining the reason why he was in Music class.

After searching through his drawer's I didn't find anything interesting so I looked under his bed.

I grimaced at the sight of a few lacy bras that obviously didn't belong to him or his sister.

I didn't spend much time looking under the bed and decided to start placing the microchips.

I found his shoes and inserted one of them in the soul of the shoe where he wouldn't find it.

I looked around and spotted his cell phone on his desk.

I went over and took off the battery cover; I put the microchip in and shut the cover.

I was thinking about having him swallow the last one; _Aro told me that they were indestructible_, I thought with a mental shrug.

I was putting his phone back in place when to my utter horror it started ringing.

_Who the hell calls at midnight?_

I looked at the caller ID and it was flashing "Tanya"

_Of course_

I really started to panic when I heard footsteps outside the door.

I quickly glanced around the room and spotted the closet.

I dove in and closed the door quietly just as the other door opened and Edward walked in looking sleepy and dragging his feet. I opened the closet door a crack and looked out.

He walked over to his desk, carrying a glass of water and picked up his phone, probably having the same thought I just did.

He grimaced as he read the caller ID and just hit end, hanging up on her.

I don't know why but the fact that he didn't want to talk to her made me smile.

I watched as he took another gulp of his water and walked over to his keyboard.

He turned the volume down, so as not to wake anyone up and started playing.

I recognized the song immediately; he was playing Claire de Lune.

I must say he was very good at playing piano and I almost started humming along until I remembered that that would not be such a good idea, seeing as he doesn't know I'm in here.

He played for a while, and it was very relaxing to listen to.

After about a half hour he finally stopped and decided to go to bed.

He stood up and stretched letting out a big yawn.

I was getting slightly tired myself just standing in the closet watching him.

The more I thought about the situation I was in, the creepier I sounded.

I mean come on, here I was standing in this guy's room, hiding in his closet, while he has no idea that I was here. That's pretty creepy.

He walked over to the side of his bed and I watched as he pulled off his hoodie…

_Oh my god, what is he doing?_

...then his jeans

_Oh my god, oh my god, please don't sleep naked. _I thought.

I was unable to look away once he removed his shirt though.

I was mesmerized by the sight of his perfect body. His chest had very defined muscles which I'm sure he got from playing sports and working out. He left his boxers on thank god.

He stretched again, revealing even more muscle, and I couldn't hold back the gasp that came out of my mouth. I immediately realized my mistake and clamped my hand over my mouth.

He looked up at the sound and a suspicious look came over his face.

As he started walking towards the closet I panicked and backed up into the darkest corner pressing my back against the wall, not even daring to breathe.

I saw the handle turning slowly and all I could think of was how much this reminded me of a horror movie.

A million excuses were running through my head, too bad none of them made sense.

My mind stopped short at the sound of his cell phone.

I heard him groan and go back over to his desk.

He picked up his phone and by the grimace on his face I assumed it was Tanya again.

I stayed stock still as I watched him yawn and turn his phone off.

I breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw him crawl into bed instead of going back to the closet.

I stayed in the closet for another half hour making sure that he really was asleep before I slipped out of the closet and out of his room, not making a sound.

I decided not to push my luck and to leave now.

I crept out the way I came in and made sure to relock the door, noticing that Mr. Cullen's car was still not there.

I jogged back to my Maserati and hopped in.

Once I was safely inside I breathed a sigh of relief, started the engine and started driving home.

I drove slower so as not to make so much noise, but I still made it home quickly.

I yawned as I crawled into bed, tired from the night's work.

I fell asleep with a small smile on my face with the image of Edward shirtless fresh in my mind.

**A/N: SCHOOL HAS RESTARTED SO THE CHAPTERS MAY BE COMING A LITTLE SLOWER THEN USUAL. BUT IF YOU ****REVIEW**** I MAY BE INSPIRED TO STAY UP LATER AND WRITE MORE!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I was lying face down on my bed when my alarm clock started screaming at me to get up.

Still keeping my eyes closed I blindly swung my arm in the direction that my clock was in.

After a few tries I finally came in contact with something and heard a thud that was followed by the silence of my alarm clock either breaking or turning off.

After waiting a few minutes to let the sleep wear off, I rolled out of bed and decided to actually get up.

I yawned and stretched thinking about last night.

I hadn't gotten in until around 1:45 in the morning and I had a feeling that I was going sleeping on my feet all day unless I did something about it.

I took a quick shower in colder water then usual to try to wake myself up.

I threw on my weapons that were sitting on my bedside table because I had been too tired to take them back to the storage room last night.

I decided on wearing a pair of loose jeans and a Washington university sweatshirt. I had picked the jeans out specifically; they were baggy enough to cover anything you want covered, but were also pretty easy to run in.

I glanced at the clock and realized that I had enough time to make coffee if I hurried.

I didn't usually like to resort to coffee to keep me energized but today was an exception because I wanted to keep alert.

As I waited for the coffee maker to do its thing I made myself a breakfast consisting of granola and yogurt.

As soon as I heard the beeping that meant that my coffee was ready, I grabbed a travel mug and poured my coffee in, sighing as I inhaled the sweet aroma that was sure to give me a head start on the day.

I was knocked out of my reverie when I glanced at the clock. I immediately ran to my car with my backpack and coffee in hand.

I sped to the school and got ready for my second day of hell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I was driving my car on the way to school, fighting to keep my eyelids open. Alice on the other hand was as bright and cheery as spring. I still don't understand where she gets all her energy from.

I spent a lot of time thinking about Bella last night. She obviously didn't fall for any of my tricks yesterday; either that or she was hiding it.

_Hmmm…maybe I could try to impress her today, because obviously my charm wasn't working._

I was brought out of my own thoughts when Alice started bouncing in her seat.

"Why are you so excited?" I asked her

"Cheerleading tryouts are today, and I'm really excited!" She told me with a large smile and continued bouncing in her seat.

My sister and Rosalie were the only real cheerleaders at our school, the other ones were Tanya and her friends that only did it because they thought they looked sexy in short skirts.

_Hmmm…I wonder_

"Hey Alice, do you think that Bella will try out for cheerleading?" I asked nonchalantly looking at the road.

"Oh my gosh that would be so much fun if she joined, I should ask her, or at the very least try to convince her to join!" Alice said now in full Alice mode, more talking to herself than me.

The thought of Bella wearing one of those short skirts made me smile. There was no way that she could say no to Alice; Alice was the mastermind of getting people to do stuff.

I should know, one time she got me to go shopping with her and carry all her bags. I still don't remember how I lost that argument.

_And if Bella does try out, that means I'll be able to see her today while I'm at soccer practice. The cheerleaders practice in the same area as us._

All of the sudden the day looked a whole lot brighter.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

The day had been pretty good so far, Edward came in twenty minutes late to first period, leaving the seat next to me empty for a while. My guess would be that he was having fun with Tanya by the way his hair was sticking all over the place.

When he did come however, he seemed to be pretty tired, as I recall he didn't go to bed until almost one in the morning.

He didn't say anything to me and I wasn't going to provoke him into a conversation.

English and PE passed by in a blur. I made sure to stay away from Edward during Volleyball, just so I wouldn't tempt myself if he said anything.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting next to Alice in calculus trying to help her solve a problem that I finished long before.

She was concentrating really hard, and had this determined look on her face as she stared at the textbook, as if the answer would appear if she looked hard enough.

"This is ridiculous!" She shouted pounding her fist on the textbook.

"Why don't you take a break, we've been working for a while anyways." I said leaning back in my chair.

With a sigh she leaned back and turned her head to me.

"How are you so good at this?" She asked me.

I just shrugged and looked away, hoping to not draw attention to the fact that I was really smart.

"And you're really good in PE." She said accusingly

"I don't know, maybe I'm naturally talented." I said trying to get away from the topic.

"hmmm…maybe, either way I have a brilliant idea!" For some reason this put me on my guard and I looked at her suspiciously.

"You" She said pointing at me; "should try out for cheerleading with me today!"

I didn't even have to think about my answer.

"No" I said flatly

"but-"

"No" I interrupted her.

"Why not?" She whined

"Because, I hate cheerleading. And my guess is that Tanya is also on the squad." I said back. That second one was plenty reason enough to stay far away.

"But we would have so much fun! And you would get to wear a cute uniform and everything! I could even do your makeup!" She said desperately, searching for something to say that would catch my interest, but I just continued to shake my head.

"uhh" She seemed at a loss of another reason, then another one must have come to her because she got super excited.

"Edward will be there!!" She said hopefully, her eyes searching mine, to see if she had won me over.

"Why? Is he trying out for cheerleading?" I laughed and glanced at Edward across the room.

"No, but we'll be able to see him during practices." She said, relieved that she finally finding something she thought interested me.

"Wait" I said turning back to her with a questioning expression on my face; "Why did you think that by saying Edward will be there will convince me to try out?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

All of the sudden Alice seemed to not find words for the first time in her life.

Instead she said; "We've been talking long enough, we should probably get back to calculus." She said in a hurried voice, trying to change the subject.

I gave her a suspicious look, but decided not to push it. I sighed and went back to helping her with her work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

Lunch came around and Alice invited me to sit with her again.

I was in the lunch line buying my food; I decided on a bowl of soup for today. It actually didn't look too bad.

Carrying my tray, I followed Alice to the table we sat at yesterday, except today we took the side that faced the rest of the cafeteria.

Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper hadn't showed up yet, so Alice and I just ate in silence.

She was still upset about the fact that I wouldn't try out for cheerleading.

I thought back to last night and the two microchips I planted. I hadn't looked at them on my phone yet.

I still had one microchip left and I decided that I would somehow have Edward swallow it. It was pretty small, and should be easy to swallow.

I realized that now would be the perfect situation to have him take it. _I just have to make sure that he doesn't realize he's swallowed it._

My eyes followed Edward as he entered the cafeteria, got in line, paid for his food and walked over to our table.

He gave me a crooked smile as he sat down across from him, pleased that I was sitting at the same table as him.

"Hello, Isabella. I see that you chose to sit at the same table as me again." He said arrogantly, as if I sat here to see him.

"Hello, Edward. I see that you chose to be an ass again today." I responded looking up at him.

His smirk faded at my comment. I think he was hoping that I would "stop playing hard to get" as he put it yesterday.

I glanced at what he was eating and saw happily that he was also eating the soup.

Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie all sat down, bearing their trays.

_Now, how am I going to slip it into his soup, without any of them noticing?_

_I'll need a distraction_ I thought looking around.

_Aha! _I spotted Tanya walking towards her table with Jessica obediently following and carrying both of their lunches.

Their table was further than ours, so they had to pass ours to get to it.

If I was going to do this my timing had to be perfect.

I grabbed the water bottle off my tray, and waited, checking to make sure that everyone at my table was preoccupied.

When I saw my opening I rolled my water bottle on the ground hard enough so that it was in the perfect position for when they walked by.

And sure enough as Tanya was attempting to walk flirtatiously by Edward, and Jessica was concentrating on carrying two trays at once; Jessica slipped on the water bottle.

At first I felt bad about using Jessica like that, especially after what happened on the plane. But I forgot about it quickly when I saw with satisfaction that the spaghetti that used to be on their trays had now ended up on Tanya.

When Jessica had tripped her trays went flying, affectively creating a diversion.

Tanya screeched and immediately started to attempt to get the food out of her hair. Yelling at Jessica all the while.

Once I noted that everyone at our table was looking at the scene going on in the opposite direction, I quickly slipped the microchip into Edward's bowl.

Then I sat back and enjoyed the show.

The entire cafeteria was watching Tanya slip and slide over spaghetti and yell at Jessica for being a klutz. Jessica was being frantic and trying to pick the spaghetti out of Tanya's hair with a napkin.

Eventually Tanya just stormed out, followed by Jessica uttering apologies every second.

Everyone at the table was cracking up; Emmett was clutching his stomach from laughing so hard.

Once everything calmed down, we all started eating again.

I watched Edward closely, making sure that nothing went wrong.

He was talking to Jasper about something, eating a spoonful after every few sentences.

I noticed that one of the mouthfuls he ate seemed to be a little harder then the other ones.

He got a weird expression on his face as if he was trying to figure out what ingredient it could be in his soup. He noticed me staring at him and threw me a questioning look.

I hurriedly looked at something else but watched him from the corner of my eye.

I was getting worried that he was going to spit it out or something, until I saw him make a big swallow and then continued to eat his soup.

Satisfied that I got the job done I went back to eating my soup.

A while into lunch, Tyler came over to our table and leaned on it.

"So Edward are you going to tryouts today, you know that coach wants to make you captain." I looked up, interested at the new information.

"Yeah, I've got my stuff in my car. It's right after school right?" Edward asked.

Tyler nodded and smiled, obviously excited about whatever sport they were talking about. I decided to find out.

"What sport are you guys talking about?" I asked curiously.

Tyler turned to me and smiled; "Soccer" he replied.

"We're both on varsity; you have to be really good to be at that level." Edward replied egotistically. He was obviously trying to brag.

"mhhmm, is that so." I replied in an uninterested tone.

"Yeah, only the absolute best get on the team. And I'll probably be captain." He said pointing at himself.

"Wow then your team must be really bad." I said egging him on.

"You probably don't even know anything about sports." He said angrily, trying to stare me down.

"I don't know Edward; I seem to know a lot about volleyball." I said giving him a look, reminding him of yesterday's PE incident.

He was unable to think of a good excuse, so instead he narrowed his eyes and got up from the table. He left the cafeteria in a huff, followed by Tyler who was amazed at the way I had talked to Edward.

Well if Edwards going to be on the soccer team, I need to have an excuse to be around the soccer field at that time.

I turned to Alice and asked; "Hey Alice, do you guys have a girl's soccer team here?"

She finished chewing her food and said; "No, the school is too small and not enough girls try out."

_Well I guess I'll just have to try out for the boy's team then._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

The rest of the school day went by quickly and Edward continued to not talk to me, apparently he was still upset about the sports comments I made.

After school I headed towards the gym to talk to the PE teacher who was also the soccer coach.

I went and knocked on the same office door as yesterday.

I let myself in and found coach Clapp sitting at his desk reading some papers.

He looked up when I entered and said; "Hello Miss Swan, what can I do for you today?"

I decided to come right out with it and said; "I would like to try out for the boy's soccer team."

I could tell he was about to shoot me down so I quickly said.

"I have every right to try out. The rules are: If there is no equal team for the opposite gender then you are allowed to try out for that team. In other words, I'm allowed to try out for your team." I said determined.

"Yes, I understand that you can try out. It's just that I'm worried that you would get hurt." He said truly concerned.

I was touched that he cared, but mentally laughed at the idea of getting hurt.

"I understand that you think I would get injured playing against guys twice my size, but let me prove you wrong today at tryouts." I said with a serious expression on my face.

He seemed to be weighing the pros and cons in his head, but eventually seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Alright, I'll let you tryout, but only because I want to see if you play soccer as well as you do volleyball." He replied, and I nodded smiling at my success.

I headed to the locker room to change into my PE uniform. It was the only thing I had that I could use during tryouts.

I jogged over to the field that would be used for tryouts. There weren't many guys there yet, so I ran over to the coach who was holding a clipboard.

He saw me approach and said; "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you for being a girl." He said in total seriousness.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I replied.

More guys were starting to show up and were now heading towards the coach to check in.

I recognized Mike and Tyler out of the bunch but other than that I had never met any of them.

They were talking and laughing as they made their way over. One of them spotted me and nudged his friends and pointed.

I rolled my eyes. _Here we go again; it's just like the first day of school all over again._

There were about five of them and I noticed that a mixture of emotions were passing across there face from surprise, questioning, bewilderment and anger.

By the time they reached the coach and me most of their expressions had landed on anger.

"This is a joke right?" One of the guys that I didn't recognize asked. He had sandy blonde hair and was holding a soccer ball against his side.

The coach sighed and rubbed his forehead; "No she's trying out too."

Shock returned to their faces and they started complaining. I rolled my eyes again at their childish whining.

"Look, no buts; she's trying out and that's final." The coach said now starting to get fed up.

"But she doesn't even have cleats or shin guards." The blonde guy whined desperately trying to get me evicted from tryouts.

I decided to show them that I was trying out seriously.

"Oh, don't worry none of you will even get close enough to touch me let alone injure me. But thanks for the concern." I said as I brushed past him, taking the ball that he was carrying.

"Come and play goalie." I said to the blonde guy. The look on his face reminded me a lot of Edward when he's being arrogant.

I went to the edge of the penalty box and pointed to the goal, instructing him to play defense.

He laughed, obviously sure of himself and went and stood where I pointed.

I was a good fifteen feet away but I was pretty confident. I was aware of all the other guys watching, waiting to watch me fail.

"Are you sure you don't want to go and try out for cheerleading?" He taunted, his friends all laughed in response.

I just gritted my teeth and concentrated on figuring out which side would be better to aim for, calculating with physics which way would give me the better outcome.

"Are you sure that's not too far a kick for you, I could let you come closer if you think it will help." He said then laughed at his own lame joke.

_Oh, screw physics!_

I pulled back and slammed the ball with my foot watching with satisfaction as it soared, rebounded off his head and went into the goal. He had been too busy laughing to realize that the ball was coming towards him.

I jogged back over to the group of guys to see that some of them had their mouths open in shock and the coach smiling.

"Ok why don't you guys just start passing around until everyone else shows up." The coach said passing around more soccer balls.

I looked around hoping that one of the guys would suck it up and be my partner. I sighed as I realized that I was the odd one out. I was about to ask the coach what to do when I heard a booming voice that could only belong to Emmett.

"No way! Bella you're trying out for soccer too!" Emmett said excitedly. _Well at least someone wants me on the team_

I nodded in response and grinned back at him, I couldn't help it he was just too likeable.

"You wanna partner with me?" He offered holding up a soccer ball.

"Sure." I replied grinning.

We headed over towards the goal area to pass. He seemed to go easy on me, timid about injuring me. I didn't take it as an insult, just that he didn't want to hurt me.

"Emmett don't worry about hurting me, go at your normal strength." I said preparing myself to receive the ball from him.

He seemed a little unsure but listened to me nonetheless. We were about fifteen feet apart; I watched as he pulled back and hit the ball with a lot of force.

The ball was pretty high so I stopped it with my stomach. It stung badly but I just shrugged off the pain and passed it back with as much power.

He seemed surprised that I could handle it and continued to pass to me that way.

I looked around and noticed that Edward still wasn't there.

We had been passing for a while and I wanted to work on something else.

I stopped the ball with my foot and said to Emmett; "Hey do you think you can help me work on my bicycle kick?" I asked him.

"You know how to do one?" He asked shocked. I nodded in understanding at why he would be surprised. It was a very hard kick. It involved throwing yourself in the air, kicking the ball then falling on your back.

"Sure!" He replied obviously excited.

I told him to stand in the goal while I stood ten or so feet away with my back turned to him.

I gave him instructions to kick it just over my head; I will wait and kick it, hopefully, into the goal.

I prepared myself watching over my right shoulder.

I saw him pull back about to kick the ball. I learned in training back at the Academy how to slow things down with my mind so I could time them perfectly. I looked forward again as I heard the sound of his foot making impact.

I didn't need to see the ball to hit it, I just had to make sure that my timing was perfect, so I closed my eyes and waited for my instinct to tell my when to jump.

I was putting all my concentration on the ball sailing towards me that I didn't notice anything else around me.

So when I was tackled from the left side, throwing me to the ground with them on top of me; I was quite surprised.

I opened my eyes up in shock and fury to find Edward smiling down at me, looking very proud of himself.

"What the hell was that for!?!" I screamed at him pushing him off me.

He seemed deterred by my outburst and an uneasy expression came over his face.

"There was a soccer ball coming right at you." He said as if expecting me to be grateful.

"Of course it was you dumbass!!! How else am I supposed to kick it!?!" I continued to yell at him.

My second outburst seemed to confuse him more because he said; "Why were you trying to kick the soccer ball?" He asked, he obviously hadn't figured it out yet.

"Well that's what you do at soccer tryouts!" I said getting up and dusting myself off and running back over to Emmett to see him laughing at what just happened. I sighed and chased after the soccer ball.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV (before he got to tryouts)

I was heading out of the locker room to soccer tryouts; which, glancing at my phone, I was already late for.

I readjusted my soccer bag and headed over to the field.

I saw the cheerleaders practicing and I looked, hoping to see Bella.

I was disappointed when I just saw my sister, Rosalie, Tanya and her friends. When Tanya saw me, she gave me an air kiss and I had to hold back a grimace.

The only reason I hadn't broken up with her yet is because if I do, Bella will think of me as an even bigger player. And that would not be good on my part, because apparently she doesn't like players.

"Hi Eddie!" Tanya screeched.

I gave a short wave back and said; "I gotta go to soccer practice." Not wanting to stay and chat.

I continued on my way to where coach would be, looking around at all the guys passing around.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw Bella.

She was just standing there, and from the looks of it her eyes were closed.

_What is she doing?_

My eyes widened as I saw that Emmett, who was standing about fifteen feet behind her, was about to kick the ball at her.

I immediately dropped my bag and sprinted in their direction. It didn't really occur to me to yell or something like that.

I saw Emmett's foot make contact with the ball, he wasn't kicking it soft either, and picked up my speed.

I tackled Bella to the ground just as the ball went whizzing by. _That could have given her a concussion. Good thing I saved her._ I was extremely proud of myself.

_Finally I did something that will put me on her good side!_ I thought triumphantly.

I looked down at her, expecting to see her expression full of gratitude. Instead I found something else.

"What the hell was that for!?!" She asked me in a furious tone, pushing me off her.

I was really confused at her outburst and said; "There was a soccer ball coming right at you."

If I expected her to be calm after that, boy was I wrong.

"Of course it was you dumbass!!! How else am I supposed to kick it!?!" She screamed at me.

_Wow she looks good when she's angry._ I thought but then remembered what she said; _Wait,_ _why would she want to kick the soccer ball?_

"Why were you trying to kick the soccer ball?" I inquired, still not understanding why she wasn't thanking me for saving her from a trip to the hospital.

"Well that's what you do at soccer tryouts!" She said getting up and dusting herself off.

Then it clicked; _how could she be trying out for the guy's soccer team!_

I awkwardly picked myself off the ground. Another attempt to look good in front of her backfired.

_Well this way she'll be able to see how good I am first hand! Besides, she can't be good enough to make it onto the guys Varsity team; and when she doesn't, maybe she'll go join cheerleading._ I thought now with a much brighter outlook then before.

I should have learned by now that my plans never seem to work when it comes to Bella.

**A/N****: PLEASE REVIEW!!! I HAVE SCHOOL STUFF TO DO TOO NOW, BUT I'LL STILL TRY TO UPDATE AS SOON AS I CAN!!! THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE MORE ON THE SOCCER TRYOUTS!!! MORE REVIEWS=FASTER UPDATES!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I was still scarping all the dirt off my shins and arms as I headed over to grab the ball that I never got the chance to kick.

_Stupid Edward_! _Leave it to him to think I'm not good enough to be on the team._

I picked up the ball and looked around to see where Emmett had gotten off to.

My plan of getting in more kicks was cut short by the sound of the whistle and the coach yelling at us to gather round.

With the soccer ball in hand I jogged over and joined the other guys that were making a circle around the coach.

I spotted Edward on the opposite side with a very determined look on his face.

I knew that look; it was the same look he got right before he tried to show off in PE.

I inwardly sighed at his foolishness, wishing that he would just give up; it would make it a lot easier to protect him.

"Alright so, welcome to soccer tryouts." Started the coach getting everyone's attention, "By the end of today, we will hopefully know who makes our varsity team or not."

I looked around, there seemed to be about twenty-two guys or so, my guess would be that the coach would have a limit of only fifteen or sixteen people for his team.

I let my eyes travel across each of them, sizing up my competition. I could tell immediately who would or wouldn't make it just by the way they stood.

I could also tell that some of them were pretty hard core players and that they would be the hardest ones I would go against.

"Okay, so why don't we start out with four laps around the field as a warm up then we can get into some drills." The coach told us. "And remember, this is a tryout so give me your best." He concluded looking at each of us.

He brought us over to the corner of the field, where I assumed he was using as a starting point. I watched as he pulled out a stopwatch and set it to zero.

"Ok, so here's the deal, four laps is one mile. I'm going to use this timer." He said lifting up the timer for everyone to see, "to see how fast you can finish it. If you get over ten minutes, then I suggest you join a sport that doesn't involve as much running."

I noticed that as soon as he said that last statement, lot's of the guys glanced at me and snickered.

I gritted my teeth; it wouldn't do well to lose my temper right now, and got into sprinter's position.

As soon as I heard that whistle blow, I was off like a bullet.

It wasn't until I was almost done with my first lap, that I realized that I probably didn't want to be attracting so much attention.

I let myself go into a comfortable jog that I could stay at for a very long time without getting tired.

Glancing behind me I realized that the other guys were at least half a lap behind.

Edward was the closest one to me but he was still behind at least a quarter lap.

I smirked and pushed my self a little more. _It can't hurt to show off a little bit._

It didn't take me long to lap the other guys.

And I won't lie; I enjoyed every second of seeing them stare at me in shock as I surpassed them and kept going.

They were clearly out of shape and energy, a few of them were heaving. I just smirked and kept going at my easy pace, not even close to being out of breath.

I saw Edward in front of me and decided to pay him a visit before I lapped him too.

I lengthened my stride and quickly took the remaining distance between us away.

I looked at him from the side and saw that he had glistens of sweat on his forehead.

"How ya doin' Edward?" I asked him in a level tone, smiling.

I saw his jaw clench when he finally noticed me and realized that I had already lapped him.

"Just because your fast doesn't mean you'll be good at soccer." He responded shakily through his teeth, obviously upset about the fact that he was being easily beaten by a girl.

I sighed and decided to piss him off more.

I picked up my pace a smidgen and pulled right in front of him. I then turned around and started jogging backwards so that I could talk to him face to face.

I smirked and said; "You still doubt that a girl like me can be good at sports."

His jaw clenched even tighter at the fact that I could even out run him going backwards.

"Why are you trying out for soccer anyways?" He asked in short gasps, trying to increase his speed; but I easily matched him.

I shrugged in response to his question and said; "I just like the sport."

"Mhhmm suuure;" he said, trying to annoy me. "Are you sure it's not because you wanted to be with me even more, because clearly every single class is not enough."

He was smirking now and I didn't like it.

I narrowed my eyes and turned back around, jogging normally, not even giving him an answer.

I looked back over my shoulder and said, "I have to finish kicking your ass at running, so if you'll excuse me…" He frowned at my choice of words but I just picked up my pace again, trying to put some distance between us before I really lost my temper and ended up injuring him.

I only had about a lap and a half left and decided to stop fooling around and wrap it up.

Lengthening my strides I quickly left Edward far behind and continued running, not slowing down once.

Running was always one of my favorite activities. It was the one time where I really felt free and alive. I loved the sensation of adrenaline running through my veins and the beat my feet made every time they hit the ground, creating my own rhythm.

Before I knew it I had finished my remaining laps and walked over to the coach, curious about the time I got.

He was staring at the stopwatch with a look of awe on his face.

He turned to me and said; "Were you on the track team at your old school?"

Thinking it over in my head, I decided that it would work well as a cover up and nodded in response.

He seemed satisfied and showed me the stopwatch. I saw that it read 6:15 and grimaced, it wasn't even close to my best time.

I looked at the coach again to see him watching the rest of the guys trying out with a frown on his face, clearly not happy at their running abilities.

I sat on the grass, twiddling a piece in between my fingers as I waited for the other people to finish.

Edward finished a minute or two after me and collapsed on the grass on the other side of the coach. He obviously didn't feel like talking to me at the moment. Not that he could.

About twelve of the rest of the guys made it under ten minutes, Emmett being one of them, and the rest came in after.

I noticed with a smirk that some of the guys that didn't make the time limit were the ones that snickered at me earlier.

They all either collapsed like Edward or chugged the entire contents of their water bottle.

I was still sitting there smirking when the coach came up with a disappointed look on his face.

"Alright, let's hope that you can handle a soccer ball better then you can run." The coach said looking specifically at the guys who finished after ten minutes. "You're going to each take a ball and start dribbling up and down the field, making sure not to lose control."

He blew the whistle and a lot of the guys groaned at the idea of more running.

I jumped up and grabbed a ball and started dribbling. The others followed my lead and grabbed a ball.

Emmett caught up with me and kept at my easy pace.

"That was awesome what you did back there." He told me giving me a dimpled smile.

I smiled in response and said; "Thanks, but you're the only one who seems to think so."

"Psh, those idiots are just upset that you're better then they are. They'll figure out soon enough that we can win the championship if you're on the team."

I smiled at the compliment.

"And if any of them give you any trouble at all, I'll sort them out." He said pointing to his chest with his thumb.

I was touched at the thought of him wanting to protect me. I'd never had any siblings and Emmett seemed like the protective older brother that was missing in my life.

After we ran that drill for a while coach let us have a water break then made us work on our ball handling.

We had to weave in-between cones, using as many different footwork techniques that we knew.

I watched Edward as I was standing in line. It was his turn on the cone course and I was curious about what the supposed MVP could do.

I watched as he weaved in and out of the cones; using taps and pullbacks and the occasional fake. The object of the exercise was to pretend that the cones were defenders and to try to get by them.

I was intrigued watching him. He really was a very good player and soccer was obviously something he took seriously.

This was probably the first time that I had really respected Edward for something. I'm sure he cares about other stuff as much as this; he just doesn't want to show it. I felt like I was seeing the real Edward for the first time.

He seemed genuinely happy, and it made me see him in a new light.

He was very handsome, but I could tell that there was more to him then his perfect hair and body.

He finished his routine and smirked when he saw me watching him. _And the mask is back in place_.

Looking around I noticed that the other guys were looking at him with admiration. Apparently he wasn't only popular in school.

After we all finished our rounds coach decided to spend the last forty minutes or so on shooting.

The other guys, minus Edward, seemed to ease up around me. I understood that it would take a while for them to get used to the idea of having a girl on the team that was just as good, if not better, then them. I figured that they were alright with having me on the team as long as I was good enough to keep my spot.

The shooting drill was pretty simple. Basically one person would line up to shoot and someone else would volunteer to play goalie for their shot. The positions switched every time so that everyone got a chance at everything.

The drill was going smoothly, some people were making good shots, and some goalies would make good saves. That all came to a halting stop when it was my turn to shoot.

The other guys remembered what I did to the guy with the blonde hair earlier. He still had a headache an hour later.

I stood there waiting for someone to play goalie, holding the ball under my foot. I looked at each of the guys, but they wouldn't look back at me.

Then Edward, who had missed the encounter earlier, decided to speak up; "Why isn't anyone going in goal?"

A lot of the guys just shuffled their feet and looked in the opposite direction.

One guy decided to let Edward in on what was happening; he talked quietly but I could still hear him, "Why do you think Alex has a headache?" He said, referring to the kid I rebounded the ball off of during warm-ups.

Edward got an unbelieving look on his face and said; "Oh, come on! You guys are telling me that you're to afraid to play goalie because **she's **kicking the ball!" He asked pointing at me.

"Dude, you didn't see what she did before. You might be willing to stand in that goal, being you and all; but I think I'd like to keep my head" The same guy said crossing his arms and shaking his head. _Well at least they're not doubting me anymore._

"This is ridiculous." Edward continued heading towards the goal, "I'll play goalie."

I watched as he got inside the goalie box and stood there, waiting for me to kick it. It was slightly insulting haw he didn't even get into a defensive stance or anything.

I noticed that the other guys were now smiling and watching with eager eyes. They obviously wanted to see one of us go down. Right now I wasn't sure which one of us it was.

I looked back at Edward to see a smile tugging at his lips; he didn't seem very nervous or worried about me kicking it.

"Just to let you know Bella, it was because of me playing goalie that we won the championship two years ago." He taunted in a voice that was filled with arrogance.

I raised an eyebrow at his proud tone. I was really tired of Edward's attempts at impressing me and making me fall for him.

"Do you really believe that I'm the kind of girl that will fall for you if you keep telling me how big headed you are." I said in response. I heard one of his teammates say 'ouch' in the background after hearing my comment.

Edward seemed a little taken back by my comment and I saw something shift behind his eyes, a mixture between hurt and fear. But it was quickly replaced by the same look I had learned to expect from him, arrogance.

I decided that I should just get it over with, because otherwise I would be here forever; I took a few steps back, ran forward and slammed my foot onto the ball.

That slight shift that I saw behind his eyes earlier made me decide not to let him have the same fate as Alex. Instead I turned my foot slightly before making contact and extended to the side.

I watched as the ball sailed to the left, hit the goal post and rebounded into the goal.

Satisfied I turned around to find a very unsatisfied group of guys who had wished I had hit him.

"Alright well that just about rounds up tryouts." The coach said, getting our attention; "I'll post the list tomorrow on the door to my office. Congratulations to those who made it; and for everyone else, maybe next year."

I went over to the sideline and grabbed my bag, glad that I would get to go home.

As I was driving home I thought about the things I saw in Edward today.

I could tell that there was a lot he wasn't showing anyone, and that he might actually be a good guy if he dropped the arrogant act.

Alice told me that he can be decent decent, who knows maybe someday I'll actually get to meet the real Edward Cullen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

If I had any more doubts about Bella's soccer playing abilities, they were gone after she made that kick. Most people are only able to make that shot by accident and their lucky if it actually manages to go in.

I sat in my car resting my head back on the seat. I watched as Bella pulled out of the parking lot with an interesting expression on her face.

It's been two days and she still hasn't fallen for me.

_It's so infuriating! The one person I want the most is the one that I can't get!_

I wasn't going to give up though, I was determined.

With that thought in mind I started my car and drove home.

It was just starting to drizzle as I was getting into the house.

I trudged upstairs and entered my room, dropping my bag on the floor.

I laid down on my black couch covering my eyes with my arm. I was exhausted.

The sound of my door opening made me open one eye.

I was greeted by the sight of my sister, Alice, entering my room.

"So how was tryouts?" She asked casually scooting my legs over so that she could sit down.

"Pretty good, how was cheerleading?" I asked closing my eyes again.

"Rose and I had fun, but your girlfriend was a pain in the ass like usual." She said in an annoyed tone. "I really wish that Bella would have come. She seems to like getting exercise; she would have had fun."

"Oh don't worry she'll be getting plenty of exercise." I said.

"What are you talking about Edward? Please don't tell me you're just planning your future sex life." She said in a disgusted tone pulling my arm off from on top of my eyes.

_I wish. _ "No, I was talking about the fact that your dear friend Bella tried out for soccer today." I told her letting out a sigh.

"But we don't have a girl's soccer team." Alice said with a confused expression.

I just gave her a pointed look, waiting for her to catch on.

I could practically hear the 'click' in her head when she got it and a look of understanding came over her face which was quickly followed by one of unbelief.

She jumped off my coach and yelled, "BELLA'S TRYING OUT FOR THE BOY'S SOCCER TEAM!!!"

I sighed and nodded, wishing she would talk quieter.

She seemed to sense my annoyance and continued in a quieter voice,"Why didn't she tell me?"

I just shrugged not knowing myself why Bella decided to tryout.

"So, was she any good?" Alice asked eagerly, continuing her twenty questions.

"She was alright." I said, not wanting to stay on the topic of Bella's athletic ability.

Alice gave me an unbelieving look and said, "I think your lying. I bet she was really good and you just don't want to admit it."

"Look Alice, I'm really tired, and I have a lot of homework to do." I said getting up, avoiding the topic.

She jumped up and said; "Aha! I knew it! She must have been extremely good! No wonder you're all pissed off!" She seemed very proud of herself for being right.

She noticed my unhappy attitude and stopped jumping around, "Why are you so upset about her being on the team? You'll be able to see her more this way." She asked looking at me.

When I didn't answer she talked again; "Wait, you're not upset because she's better then you at soccer, you're upset because she still won't go out with you, and that none of your tactics are working to draw her in." She looked at me and by the expression on my face, knew that she had poked the right spot. She shook her head at my absurdness.

I felt foolish and ashamed of myself.

"Let me ask you this," She said looking me in the eye, "What is Bella, to you?" By the expression on her face, I could tell that my answer would settle something for her.

Her question stopped me short. And for some reason I couldn't just say my one of my usual answers. If she was asking the same question about anyone else I would have easily responded with something along the lines of 'Just a girl' or 'Just a date'.

But for some reason Bella felt different. Whether it was the way she seemed immune to things that have let me sail through life easily before now; or the fact that she sees things about me and calls me out on them.

I would never admit it to anyone else, but the fact that Bella saw right through me, scared me. She frustrated me and that frustration led me to say things that made her hate me even more. I felt vulnerable around her for some reason and I felt like I was on the borderline of hate and attraction towards her.

I couldn't tell Alice the answer to her question because I didn't know myself.

She seemed to sense the mental debate I was having and said, "When you figure it out, come tell me. Let's just hope it's not too late."

With that she got up and walked out of my room, leaving me to my thoughts.

I tossed and turned all night thinking about what Alice said. I still couldn't answer her question.

I knew that Bella was not like the other girls I had dated before. But I was hesitant to open myself up like that.

I was afraid of letting go of the image I had created to cover myself for a long time. People knew me as the popular, rich, player Edward Cullen who is always scoring girls.

They don't know me as Edward Cullen, the guy that loves to play piano, enjoys spending time with his sister, and misses his mother.

I was afraid that if they got to know that Edward, then I would lose everything I had worked so hard to gain.

I sometimes wish that I could be that Edward, just so that I could see how different my life would be.

I had a decision to make. What was more important to me: being who I currently am, or maybe getting a chance with Bella?

One thing was for sure; I couldn't have both.

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**A/N****: PLEASE REVIEW!!! I DIDN'T GET AS MANY REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER!!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF MY STORY!!! **

**I HAVE SCHOOL WORK DURING THE WEEK BUT I SHOULD HAVE TIME TO WRITE ON FRIDAY OR THIS WEEKEND, BUT ONLY IF YOU REVIEW!!! :P**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I grabbed my car keys and headed out the door to go to school.

The coach said that he was going to post the team roster this morning and I was anxious to see it.

If I didn't make the team, it would mean I would have to try out for cheerleading. _Ewww._

I had bought shin guards and cleats last night, hoping that I would get to use them.

I pulled into the parking lot and saw that there were very few cars. I had decided to come early to check the list.

I hopped out of my car, shouldering my bag and headed towards the gym, making sure that my phone was still in my pocket.

Last night I had tried out the GPS system on my phone. I was able to see exactly where the three microchips were; which could definitely come in handy later.

I had also put aside some time to hack into the security system of his house. I had reset it to let me know the second someone tried to break in. But I also connected it with my GPS system so that it would tell me if the microchips left the house.

I figured that way, I would be able to make sure that Edward stayed in his house and that no one came and got him.

It was starting to drizzle so I picked up my pace and pulled my hood over my head.

I finally made it to the gym and wiped my feet on the mat, trying to shake the water off.

I walked over to the coach's office nervously.

I scanned over the list slowly, only to let out a sigh of relief when I saw Swan, Bella written second from the bottom.

I gave myself a small smile and looked at the list again to see who else made it.

Cullen, Edward- _of course_

Cullen, Emmett

Cheney, Ben

Crowley, Tyler

Newton, Mike

Those were the only ones I recognized, and the other ones I didn't really care about.

I was about to head out when I heard a voice from inside the office say; "Isabella?"

The voice was followed by coach poking his head out of the door and smiling when he saw me.

"Oh good, you saw the list." He said motioning his hand toward the door and now coming fully out of his office.

"Yeah, I'm really happy I made the team, I wasn't really sure I would make the cut." I said truthfully.

He looked at me strangely and said; "Of course you made it, you were by far the best one out there! I would be an idiot not to put you on the team!" He said smiling at me warmly.

"Actually I'm glad I caught you this morning, I have something to ask you." He told me.

I nodded at him to continue.

"How would you feel about being captain of the team? You showed tremendous skill yesterday and I think you would do well as the team captain." He told me still smiling.

I was ecstatic at first when he asked me, immediately thinking of ways I could benefit the team and lead them to victory…but then I remembered something-Edward.

The smile that had appeared on my face moments before started to fade away as I thought of how badly Edward wanted to be captain. I couldn't do that to him.

Coach noticed my sudden mood change and threw me a questioning glance.

"Could I possibly get back to you with my answer, I'd like to think it over first." I asked him.

He seemed confused at my weariness, I'm sure he was expecting me to jump at the opportunity, but he nodded at me all the same.

I thanked him, grabbed my bag and headed out of the gym.

I walked to the hallway where my locker was, I needed to grab a couple things.

I closed my locker door and was surprised when I was met with the sight of an angry Alice five inches from my face.

I didn't like having my personal space invaded so I took a slight step back, which only caused her to take another step forward.

"Hey Bella did you forget to tell me something yesterday?" She asked examining her fingernail, trying to sound inconspicuous but wasn't fooling anyone.

I racked my brain for possible things I left out yesterday but when nothing came to mind, I looked back at her confused.

Noticing my clueless expression she said; "Are you sure? So there's nothing important you forgot to tell me yesterday?" she looked me in the eye, trying to make me catch on.

I shook my head, because I really didn't have any idea what she was talking about.

"So you mean to tell me that it just slipped your mind to tell me that YOU TRIED OUT FOR THE BOYS SOCCER TEAM!!!" She said getting louder with each word.

I flinched at the sudden increase of noise and took another step back. I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to our conversation.

They were. I saw about five people staring in shock at the information that Alice just screamed. I noticed with a grimace that one of them was Jessica Stanley.

She seemed to snap out of her shock the quickest and whipped out her cell phone, which she started punching away at furiously, occasionally glancing at me.

I groaned, turning back to Alice, "Why did you have to do that? Now Jessica over there is going to make sure that the entire student population knows all about me trying out for the team. As if I wasn't getting enough stares already."

"Because, you didn't tell me that you were trying out yesterday! It's kind of something you let your friend know!" She said giving me a look that pretty much told me I was an idiot.

I was taken back when she used the word 'friend'. _Is that what we are?_ I asked myself.

I had never had a friend before, so I couldn't really tell if this was a friendship.

She sighed and said; "Well did you at least make the team?" She asked.

I nodded still thinking over the word 'friend'. Rolling it over in my mind. I figured that it would be okay to be friends with someone; I just couldn't let myself get too connected. That way when they left I would still be able to keep going like I always have.

"I take it my brother made the team too?" She asked trying to get me to talk more.

"Yeah" Was my brilliant reply.

"He's sure that he's going to be captain this year." She said as if she had heard him say it a million times.

I bit my lip and looked away, knowing that I was holding back information from my new friend.

"Alright, well I should get going to class." I said trying to edge away from the conversation.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you at lunch. I can't wait to see everyone's reaction to you being on the team." She said with a grin.

I grimaced at the reminder that I would be the hot topic of the day. _Well they would have found out sometime._

I said goodbye to Alice and headed toward History.

The bell was close to ringing so the classroom was pretty full already.

It was alive with conversation, but once I stepped inside it went dead silent.

_Here we go again._

I ducked my head and shuffled to my seat.

As I was passing by I heard the occasional whisper.

'_OMG did you hear, she tried out for the team?'_

'_I bet she didn't make it.'_

'_She is so weird. Why would she want to try out for soccer?'_

That last comment stung, but years of practice kept me from showing it on the outside.

I sat in my seat and put my head on the desk to hide my now red face.

I heard the chair move next to me and I saw Edward sit down. Uninterested with whatever comment he was going to throw at me today I went back to putting my face on the desk.

After a few minutes I felt his him staring at me. I expected him to stop so I didn't say anything.

After another minute or so he still didn't look away and I was getting annoyed.

I picked my head up and glared at him, catching him off guard I said; "Is there a reason you're staring at me?"

He seemed flustered at being caught and said; "Nope" Then quickly looked somewhere across the room.

_That was weird_

Mentally shrugging I sat back in my seat, seeing that the teacher finally entered the classroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I walked into class, still thinking about last night.

I looked to my seat and saw Bella with her head down on the desk.

_She should be happy. I just looked at the roster and she made the team._

My confusion at her upset attitude was made clear when I listened to the whispering that was going on.

'Maybe she's psycho; that would explain why she tried out for the team'

That comment made me frown; instead of listening to more I headed towards my seat.

I put my backpack on the ground and sat down in my seat.

Bella opened an eye, but that was all she did to acknowledge my presence.

I saw out of the corner of my eye as she went back to hiding her face from the class without saying anything.

As hard as I tried (which wasn't very hard), I couldn't keep my eyes off her.

Her hair was spread out on the desk, and I wanted to reach out and run my hands through it to see if it was as soft as it looked.

She was so different from any of the other girls here. She was so much more real.

_Maybe it wouldn't be too bad having her on the team. _

_This was going to be a good season. I would finally get to be captain! _

_I had worked hard to get that spot. I figured that maybe if I got to be captain, then my dad would recognize my hard work and devotion._

_He might even come to a game!_

There were two things that I didn't have that I wanted the most.

My father to realize I exist.

Bella

Speaking of which, I was still staring at her. I was trying to memorize every aspect of her.

My eyes traced everything from the curve of her ear to the freckle on the back of her neck.

All the sudden she snapped her head up and glared at me. "Is there a reason you're staring at me?"

I felt embarrassed at her catching me staring so I quickly just said, "Nope." And looked at nothing in particular across the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

The day flew by pretty quickly. The news that Bella was on the team spread like wildfire

At lunch she sat opposite me, next to my sister.

They were talking the entire time.

Well my sister was; Bella was mostly just listening to her and nodding occasionally.

Emmett was talking to me about some soccer play he had come up with that he thought we should run.

I wasn't doing a very good job listening because I was watching Bella.

Emmett gave up on getting me to respond and tried Bella.

"Hey Bella, tell me what you think of this play." Then he went on to describe his insane play to Bella making her laugh at its ridiculousness.

I smiled when she did, but I also noticed that something seemed to be off about hers.

I looked at her eyes and noticed there was something hiding behind the happiness she was showing.

She noticed me looking at her and said, "What?"

"Nothing" I replied still puzzled about her eyes.

Lunch ended and music class went by in a flash.

Pretty soon I was sitting in Biology next to Bella listening to the teacher drone on about photosynthesis.

I glanced over at Bella and noticed that she was doodling in a notebook.

Curious I leaned over a little and looked closer.

She seemed to be drawing some sort of intricate crest.

It was in the shape of a shield and I watched as she drew vines around the rim and wrote MA in curvy letters in the middle. It was really good so I leaned over a little more, trying to get a better look.

She seemed to notice that I was looking at her drawing because she snapped it to her chest and glared at me for the second time today.

"What?" She said, annoyed that I had looked at her drawing.

"What are you drawing?" I asked trying to peek at it again.

She just held it tighter and said; "Nothing that pertains to you."

I was about to argue, when my phone started ringing.

I freaked out and pulled it out of my pocket.

The screen was flashing "Tanya"

_What the hell!?! Why is she calling me during class!?!_

I immediately hit the off button and looked up wearily.

I was met with the sight of a very angry teacher and a snickering class.

The teacher stormed over to me and snatched the phone out of my hand.

"Detention Mr. Cullen!" He spat at me.

"But I have soccer right after school!" I said, not believing what just happened.

"Well lucky for you then that there is a second detention around 5:30. That way no one has an excuse to miss it." He put my phone in his drawer with a smug expression on his face, and then continued his lecture.

I glanced at Bella to see a very sour expression on her face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I was sitting in Biology next to Edward.

The teacher was giving some lecture on photosynthesis that I already knew.

I pulled out my notebook and a pencil, deciding that doodling would be a good way to pass the time.

I let my mind wander as I was drawing, not really sure what I was drawing at all.

I must have been thinking about the Academy because when I looked at my paper I saw the school's crest.

I had drawn it just as I remembered it, vines surrounding a shield and in the middle were the letters MA for Meyer Academy.

I think I might have been getting a little homesick; but I snapped out of it when I saw Edward out of the corner of my eye trying to look at my drawing.

I snapped it to my chest and glared at him. "What?" I asked, annoyed at him for looking at my drawing.

"What are you drawing?" He asked still trying to get a look at it, but I just held onto it tighter.

"Nothing that pertains to you." I told him, still clutching my paper.

_I probably shouldn't have drawn that._

He opened his mouth to say something when his phone started ringing.

He freaked out and quickly pulled it out of his pocket.

I glanced at the screen and gave a small chuckle when I saw that it said "Tanya"

_Why would she call him during class?_

He pressed the off button and looked up.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed his phone.

I watched as the teacher stormed over and snatched his phone away.

"Detention Mr. Cullen!" The teacher yelled.

At those words both Edward and my expression turned to ones of disbelief.

_Ahhh man! If he gets detention that means I have to!_

I have to follow Edward everywhere except his house.

_Damn it Edward!_

I sat there matching Edward's furious expression planning how I was going to get the teacher to give me a detention.

I unwillingly came up with a plan and waited for the perfect time to put it into action. I would have to wait a while to make it look real.

At the right time, I tore off a piece of paper from my notebook and wrote a message on it.

I watched as the teacher walked around the class still lecturing. When he was behind our desk walking towards the front of the class I slid the piece of paper across the desktop to Edward.

I slid it slowly, giving the teacher plenty of time to see it.

I started to get worried when the paper was only a few inches away from Edward.

Then I had to keep the smile off my face when I head the smack of the teacher's hand as he put it over the paper.

He took the bait

"Passing notes are we Ms. Swan?" He said picking up the note. He seemed very proud of himself for catching me in the act.

_Puh-lease, I could pass a note to the person on the other side of the room without you noticing._

I watched as he unfolded the note and read it. His confident smirk turning first into a frown and then a weird expression that I think was supposed to be anger.

My note basically made fun of him and his lecture.

I had to lay it on thick to get the results I needed.

"Well Ms. Swan." He said angrily, folding up the piece of paper, "It looks like you will be joining Mr. Cullen in detention."

I nodded, and he seemed a little upset at my lack of reaction to his punishment.

There wasn't much time left in the period so I just sat in my seat thinking about nothing in particular.

As soon as I heard the bell I jumped out of my seat and hurried out of the classroom.

I had stored my soccer gear in my locker this morning so that's where I headed.

I grabbed what I needed and headed towards the locker room to change.

Once inside I made sure that no one was around and slipped into the sweatpants and long sleeve adidas shirt I brought to practice in.

Double checking to make sure that everything was covered I put on my shin guards and cleats.

Shouldering my soccer bag I headed out to the field, ready for exercise.

As I was walking onto the field I heard a commotion. Looking to where the cheerleaders practiced I saw Edward talking to Tanya, who was screaming at him.

I kept my eyes on what was happening as I kept walking over to where the rest of the team was gathering.

I put down my bag and nudged Emmett who was also staring in the same direction.

"What's going on?" I asked him, gesturing towards Edward and Tanya.

"Not sure." He replied smiling, "But I think Edward is breaking up with his girlfriend."

For some reason this caused a small smile to break out across my face, but I got rid of it as soon as I realized it was there.

The entire team was watching the show, but they quickly pretended to be doing something else when Edward started walking back over.

Any chance at asking questions was cut short by the blow of a whistle.

We all turned towards the coach who was smiling.

"Welcome to soccer practice."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After soccer was over I stretched my sore muscles and headed towards the locker room.

After I was back in my regular clothing I walked out to see Edward leaning against the wall.

He stood up when he saw me and said; "Come on, we don't want to be late for detention."

I followed him out into the parking lot. I got really confused when I saw him unlock his car.

He noticed my confusion and said; "The classroom for detention is on the other side of campus. It's a long walk from here and there's another lot to park in over there."

I nodded in understanding and dug out my own keys.

He put his key in the ignition and started the engine.

The sound of his engine made my eyebrows furrow up in confusion.

It sounded different yesterday. Maybe something's wrong with it. I made a mental note to check out his car and climbed into my own.

I followed him as he drove to the other lot and re-parked.

We both got out and locked our cars.

He started walking towards one of the buildings and I followed.

_Of course he would know exactly where the detention room is._

We walked into a room that had only five or so desks for the students and a regular one for whatever teacher got stuck staying after school to watch them.

The teacher that was at the desk asked our names to check off a list then pointed towards the desks. We both took our seats without a word.

There was only one other guy in the room and he was sleeping at his own desk.

I sighed and decided to follow his lead.

I didn't fall asleep but the rest felt good after just having practice.

Instead of using my eyes, I listened to what was happening in the room.

I could hear the scratching of a pencil on paper as the teacher worked on the daily sudoku on the paper… I heard the steady breathing that was coming from the guy that was sleeping…

…and I felt Edward staring at me again.

I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow in silent questioning.

He just looked away like he did the first time I caught him.

With a sigh I rested my chin on my hands and closed my eyes.

I heard the teacher put his pencil down, get up and walk out of the room.

_Maybe a bathroom break?_

I opened one eye when I heard the guy that I thought was asleep get up and leave as soon as the teacher was out of the classroom.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as Edward looked back and forth between the door and the desk the guy was just at.

"Don't bother Edward." I told him, clearly guessing his intentions.

"Why not." He replied after he got past the shock from me practically reading his mind.

"Because of that." I said pointing towards the hidden video camera that I spotted the second I walked in the door.

Apparently they don't trust their students here.

"Oh" He said embarrassed, finally seeing the camera.

After that we fell into an awkward silence.

"Hey Bella, why'd you try out for soccer." Edward asked looking at me.

"You already asked that." I said in response.

"Yeah, I know but you didn't exactly elaborate. All you said was 'I like the sport'." He said.

I sighed and turned to look at him, "Alright, well I guess it's also the feeling I get when I run. You know when you feel untouchable." I said waiting for him to laugh or something.

Instead what I got was, "Yeah I know what you mean."

"Why did you move here in the first place?" He asked, excited that I actually answered a question.

"What is this twenty questions or something?" I asked him.

"It can be, it's not like we have anything better to do."

I sighed in defeat and said, "Fine, but I'm not promising to answer them all. I moved here with my adoptive parents from California."

_That was half true_

He nodded and asked, "What are your parents like?"

I grimaced on the inside; my parents were a touchy topic for me.

"They're like regular parents I suppose." I said for lack of a better description. No one had asked about my fake parents yet so I hadn't really come up with anything.

"I take it they bought you that car?" He asked

I just nodded in response.

"Yeah, my dad bought me mine too. Well I picked it out; he just gave me the money." Edward said and I could detect a hint of sadness in his words, as if there was more to the story.

What do your parents do for a living?" He asked.

I struggled to come up with an answer for a second or two but eventually said, "My dads an architect and my mom is an editor."

"What kind of Editing does she do?" He asked smiling, genuinely curious. I felt bad about lying to him so much, but I had to do it.

"Ummm…all sorts, books, magazines, newspapers…" I was running out of ideas, "I think that's enough questions about my parents, what about yours?" I asked

At my question the smile that had been growing on his face steadily with each question, faded.

He looked away and said, "My mom died when I was five. And my dad, well let's just say he isn't much of one."

"I'm sorry." I said. I already knew about his mom, but I had no idea about his dad.

"It's just that, my entire life he has never been there." He said raising his head to look at me, "After my mom died, it was almost like he didn't want us anymore."

"He's ignored me my whole life but I'm hoping that he'll notice me now." He said with a little bit of hope in his eyes.

"Why now?" I asked quietly.

"Because, I'm going to be team captain this year. And then he'll appreciate me as his son." He said with a smile truly thinking that his plan was flawless.

I on the other hand froze at his words. _There is no way I can be captain. It would kill him._

I put a small smile on my face, trying not to let him see the expression that was on the inside.

The conversation ended after that, the teacher returned to tell us we could leave.

I stretched and yawned getting out of my chair.

Edward followed me into the hallway and said; "Alright, well I have to go to the bathroom, but I'll see you tomorrow." He gave me small smile.

I waved goodbye and headed outside.

Because it was winter the sun set earlier, making it pretty dark outside. I shivered against the cold air and put my hood up.

I was about to unlock my car when I remembered Edward's across the lot.

_Might as well check it out now. _

I jogged over to where I remembered it was, pulling out my Swiss army knife so I could pop the hood.

Once I got it open my eyes widened at what I saw.

A bomb.

_No wonder it sounded funny before_

We had learned to deactivate bombs back at the academy, but that takes time; which I wasn't sure I had.

Being very careful I looked closer seeing if there was anything to go by.

On the backside I found what I was looking for, the screen that read the countdown.

I saw with horror that it was at thirty seconds left.

I immediate closed the lid and started sprinting back towards the buildings and my car.

There was no way that I could deactivate it in time and I had to get clear.

I squatted on the other side of my car, nervously waiting for what was to come, counting down in my head.

It was getting darker as the sun was going down more, but that didn't prevent me from seeing Edward jogging in the direction of his car.

_Oh Shit!_

I immediately chased after him. Still counting down in my head

_9...8…7…6…5…4 _

_Damn it!_

We were about fifty feet away when I tackled him to the ground.

We rolled into some bushes just as I heard the explosion.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. If he had been a few feet closer who knows what could have happened.

It was dark enough that I was sure he didn't recognize me, especially with my hood on but I still didn't take any chances.

As soon as I made sure he was safe I got up and sprinted around the side of the building.

I let out a large breath and examined myself. I had a few cuts here and there but other then that I was fine.

I peeked around the corner and tried to make out what was happening.

I think Edward was examining the remaining parts of his car. Chances are that he probably called the police. People were coming out of the building to see what had happened. Apparently there had been some sort of event going on not to far from us. Which means that he will be taken care of.

_Which also means it's time for me to get out of here._

I manually unlocked my car and started it. Edward was too preoccupied to notice the sound of an engine, which I was thankful for.

I kept my lights off until I was far enough away that he wouldn't see them.

I let out another sigh as I made my way home.

_Thank god I can run fast._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N****: PLEASE REVIEW!!! I WAS NICE AND GAVE YOU GUYS A LONGER CHAPTER!!! YOU SHOULD BE NICE BACK AND LEAVE ME REVIEWS!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I groaned as I rolled over to turn off my beeping alarm clock.

I got a pretty bad bruise yesterday when I tackled Edward to the ground last night.

_Maybe I landed on something_

I yawned and stretched my arms as I got out of bed.

I would have to investigate the explosion, obviously the person doing this isn't kidding around.

With that thought in mind I continued getting up and got ready to leave for school.

A while later, after I was sure that I had everything I needed, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

I also had to carry the soccer bag that they gave out yesterday at practice to everyone on the team.

I would just have to stick it in my locker or something until after school.

I pulled into the parking lot, not failing to notice the even shinier Volvo that occupied the spot a few away from mine.

Getting out I grabbed my bags from the backseat and started walking.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as I saw Edward get out of his new car and started twisting his head in every direction obviously looking for someone.

Once he spotted me walking in the direction of his car he quickly tried to pull a casual look by leaning against his car with his arms crossed and looked in the other direction.

I rolled my eyes. You didn't have to be a spy to be able to call his bluff.

"New car?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I walked past his car.

At my comment he turned his head to look at me as if he was just now noticing me for the first time. I mentally rolled my eyes at his bad acting skills.

He gave me a crooked smile and tried to keep his "cool" act by blowing it off as no big deal.

He switched positions to keep looking laid back, placing his hand on the front of his car to support his weight.

However, he didn't seem to realize that the hood of his car was still wet from last night's rain and his hand slipped, causing him to slam his forehead on the car.

He quickly scrambled up embarrassed, brushing his hands off on his jeans; almost like he meant to do it.

"Smooth, Edward" Alice said brushing past him and walking over to me.

I had to cough back a laugh, especially when I noticed the big red mark Edward had on his forehead.

Alice linked her arm with mine and started towing me towards the school.

I turned my head to give Edward a small wave goodbye, but he was to busy muttering to himself about being an idiot.

I turned my head back around to find Alice inspecting my clothes for the second time.

"I really need to take you shopping; these jeans aren't cute at all." She said finally looking at me.

Instead of arguing I changed the topic; "So, your brother got a new car?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear what happened?" She asked.

I shook my head, I was curious at what they thought had happened.

"His old car blew up yesterday!" She said as if she didn't believe it herself.

"You're kidding!" I said acting the appropriate level of surprised.

She shook her head excitingly, happy to have someone to gossip with. "They think that there was something wrong with the engine and that could have caused it to explode."

"Is he okay?" I asked, already knowing that Edward was fine except for maybe a few bruises from me tackling him.

"Yeah, he's fine; thank god he wasn't in the car when it happened." She said.

I nodded my head in agreement happy that he was safe, and also because I would have been so fired if that had happened.

"Apparently, Edward said that some crazy guy tackled him then ran off right before it happened." She said giving a small laugh at how absurd it sounded.

I was a little miffed and couldn't help but ask, "How do you know it was a guy?"

"Believe me, Edward said that the person tackled him hard enough to be a linebacker, it was definitely a guy." She said, opening her locker.

I smiled a little mentally at the compliment, but on the outside I held the same stone cold expression as always.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day was going pretty well, I was on my way to PE when I glanced at my watch.

My eyes widened when I realized that I was running out of time if I wanted to make sure I changed by myself.

I picked up the pace and soon walked into the locker room.

I unlocked my locker and started stripping.

I had gotten on my sweatpants and was about to pull off my shirt when I heard the bell ring, followed by the sound of the door opening.

_Shit!_

Pushing up my sleeves I ripped off the knives that were strapped there, and shoved them inside my locker.

I wouldn't have had enough time to swap shirts so that was the next best thing I could think of.

Just as I was checking to make sure that the blades were covered Alice came strolling around the corner.

"Hey Bella, aren't you usually changed by now?" She asked as she unlocked the locker next to mine.

"Uh yeah…I was running a little late." I replied closing my locker door a little more just in case.

I was still standing there when she asked, "Aren't you going to get changed?"

"Oh, right." Was my brilliant reply, as I carefully opened my locker door a little wider and cautiously dug inside for my PE shirt.

I pulled my shirt over my head with my back turned to Alice and threw it into my locker.

I was about to put my PE shirt on when I heard Alice gasp.

I spun around quickly thinking that she had spotted the knives.

I was about to say something when she said, "Where did you get those scars?" She asked turning me back around so that she could take a closer look at my back.

"What? Oh, I fell through a window when I was a little kid. I had to get a lot of stitches." I said, letting the lies roll off my tongue.

She seemed to be suspicious at first but the look on my face must have convinced her to drop the topic because she didn't say anything else and continued changing.

I quickly threw my shirt on and locked my locker, trying to push back the memories that a lot of those scars came with.

It was definitely no window that gave me those scars.

Alice didn't notice but they weren't only on my back; I had numerous scars, some small ones on my arms, some across my chest.

I even had one on the side of my face but my hair managed to make it unnoticeable.

The other people back at the academy just thought I got them from missions I went on, where the situation left me with a few stitches here or there.

They were partially correct, some of them were from missions but the rest were from long before I was an agent.

There was one scar in particular that I didn't like to think about. I remembered the day perfectly.

_I was twelve years old, still with my parents in Phoenix._

_I had been doing homework one night at the kitchen table; my mom was passed out upstairs in her room so the house was fairly quiet._

_The silence was broken however by my dad slamming the front door open and swaggering in, still carrying a beer bottle. I was sure that it wasn't his first drink of the night._

_I knew not to mess with him when he was drunk so I tried to pack up my homework as quietly as I could so I would be able to slip upstairs unnoticed. _

_I must have made a sound however because his head snapped in my direction and a furious expression appeared on his face._

_I was standing up holding my backpack to my chest with the expression of fear clearly shown on my face._

_I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to go upstairs any time soon so I just braced myself for the approaching storm._

"_You told someone!" He boomed, stomping towards me._

_I shook my head in fright; I had never told someone all the things that happened at home, I was too afraid._

_He didn't believe me. He never did._

_His response was to slam his beer bottle on the counter so that all he was holding now was the top with a now extremely sharp other end. _

"_Then why did I get a phone call at work today from the nurse at your school saying that you had suspicious bruises!" He yelled now in my face._

_I was horrified that she had called him; "I-I di-dn't-say an-ythi-ng" I stuttered._

"_Liar!" He yelled and hit me across the face, sending me sprawling to the floor._

_He leaned over me and got in my face; I could smell the alcohol on his breath and shied away. He grabbed my face and roughly pulled it so that he was looking me in the eye._

"_Believe me, after tonight you're going to have more then just bruises." He said as I watched a sadistic smile form on his face_.

That night he had used the broken beer bottle and gave me that five inch long scar that is now on my right shoulder blade.

During PE I didn't talk to Alice much; I was still trying to push away the memories that kept crawling back into my mind.

However, by the time lunch rolled around I had shook myself out of it and returned to normal.

I was sitting at the lunch table taking a bite of my sandwich while listening to Alice talk.

She paused the one sided conversation when an announcement came on the loudspeaker.

'_Attention students, this is just a reminder that the dance is this Friday. It is formal wear only, so make sure you dress appropriately!'_

Alice squealed next to me and immediately started going on about different dresses and shoes, which I had no desire to listen to.

Instead I turned my attention over to Edward, who was talking to Emmett about soccer.

"I'm so psyched for practice today, coach is announcing captain." Edward said with a smile on his face.

I winced on the inside and decided that now would be a good time to tell him. Even though I wasn't going to take the spot I didn't want him to be caught off guard.

Interrupting whatever Emmett was going to say I said, "Hey Edward-"

"Eddie!" The voice that cut me off was none other then Lauren trying to pick up where Tanya left off.

Edward grimaced and turned to face her, "Yes, Lauren?"

"I still need a date for the dance, and I'm sure you and I could have a lot of fun together." She said suggestively with a wink.

I gagged as I watched her drop a slip of paper containing her number and walk away, not even giving Edward a chance to respond.

Edward grimaced at the piece of paper and said; "Well I'm going to head to class before anyone else comes around and gives me their number."

With that he got up, grabbed his bag and left the cafeteria.

_I'll just ask the coach not to say anything about it today at practice._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

School ended and I was heading out of the locker room now in full soccer gear.

When I got over to the field coach was in a serious conversation with someone so I put off telling him about the captain thing until later.

After everyone arrived and coach finished his conversation we started practice.

He had us run a mile, everyone managed to make it in less than ten minutes; and we did some more shooting exercises and he would occasionally throw in some drills.

It wasn't until practice was over, when most of the guys wear soaked with sweat and breathing hard, that coach gave us a water break.

We were all sitting around drinking from our water bottles or just catching our breath when the coach came over to talk to us.

"I have some very important news to announce." Coach said, getting everyone's attention.

_Uh-oh_

I saw out of the corner of my eye that Edward had a smile on his face and he sat up a little straighter.

"I am going to announce the captain for this year's team." He said excitedly.

I tried to stop him before he went any further, "Ummm, coach? About that-"

"Hold on a second Isabella, I just want to announce this." He said cutting me off.

"I've decided that the captain this year should only be someone with the best playing ability, someone that can really lead this team." He said, much to my growing dread.

"So, for this year's captain, I have chosen Isabella." He concluded with a smile.

I immediately looked over at Edward, and immediately wished I hadn't. His expression was heartbreaking.

I winced at the sight, barely even noticing that everyone else was leaving now that practice was over.

We were the only two that stayed where we were. I didn't say anything, just watched anxiously as he sat there.

All the sudden he stood quickly and roughly threw his bag over his shoulder.

He started walking away, but not before sending a glare that made me wince for the second time.

I jumped up and went after him, grabbing his arm and turning him around.

"Listen, Edward, I was going to tell you." I said pleading with my eyes for him to believe me.

"Tell me what!?! That you decided to take the one thing I wanted the most away from me!" He said angrily, clenching his jaw.

"No, Edward, that's never what I meant to do, you have to believe me!" I pleaded.

"You knew how much it meant to me! That was the one chance I had at getting closer with my father!" He yelled getting in my face.

I said nothing, ashamed that I didn't tell him, pleading with my eyes for him to forgive me.

"I bet that's what you wanted all along! You took the captain spot away from me so that your perfect life could be even more perfect!" He yelled

At that comment all the pleading and regret disappeared from my face, "You think my life is perfect!?!" I said in a voice that pretty much screamed 'don't mess with me'.

"Oh, I know it is! With your perfect car, perfect grades, and perfect parents! I'm sure getting captain was nothing new to you at all!!!" He yelled, getting louder with each word.

"You know nothing about me, or my life." I said gravely getting up in his face, my fist itching by my side to hit him.

"Oh but I do! 'I'm Bella, I'm too good for any of the guys at this school so I just sit there and don't talk to anybody!'" He said in a horrible imitation of me.

I bit my tongue and replied, "Fine, you think I think I'm too good for everybody; I'll prove you wrong. I bet that I can get asked to the dance by ten different guys tomorrow."

"Alright, you're on! There's one more day until the dance and I know for a fact that no guy will even get close to you since you turned me down!" He replied with a triumphant smirk.

I gritted my teeth and brushed past him saying, "Well we'll see."

I was furious as I unlocked my car and got in. I sat in the driver's seat and took a deep breath trying to calm myself down.

_What did I just get myself into?_

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Alice.

"Hello?" She said, picking up.

"Hey Alice, I need a favor." I started.

"What kind of favor?" She asked, curious.

"I was thinking that maybe we could take that shopping trip you wanted to go on so badly." I said trying not to let the grimace that was in my mind get into my voice.

"Really!?!" She asked excitedly

"Sure, do you think that we could go tomorrow? How much are you against cutting class for a while?" I asked.

"I like where this is going. Alright how about we go to the mall early tomorrow morning?"

"Perfect" I replied. I said my goodbye and started the car to take me home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

Practice was ending and coach let us off to get some water.

I was too excited to get out my water bottle so I just sat there, anxiously waiting.

"I have some very important news to announce." Coach said, getting everyone's attention.

I smiled and sat up straighter, not wanting to miss anything.

"I am going to announce the captain for this year's team." He said excitedly.

Bella spoke up and said, "Ummm, coach? About that-"

"Hold on a second Isabella, I just want to announce this." He said cutting her off.

"I've decided that the captain this year should only be someone with the best playing ability, someone that can really lead this team." He said, much to my growing happiness

"So, for this year's captain, I have chosen Isabella." He concluded with a smile.

The smile on my face melted. I thought that I had heard wrong, but the way that coach was smiling at Bella proved I was right.

I just sat there, unmoving, still getting over the shock of having my dreams crushed.

It didn't occur to me to blame the coach or anyone else. No, all my hatred went straight to Bella.

I glared at her and got up, grabbing my bag as I went.

I had started walking away when I felt Bella's hand on my arm, followed by her roughly turning me around to face her.

"Listen, Edward, I was going to tell you." She said, regret and sadness in her eyes.

"Tell me what!?! That you decided to take the one thing I wanted the most away from me!" I yelled back angrily, venting out all my frustration. I was so angry at her for betraying me.

"No, Edward, that's never what I meant to do, you have to believe me!" She pleaded.

"You knew how much it meant to me! That was the one chance I had at getting closer with my father!" I yelled getting in her face.

I had trusted her, told her about my father. That was obviously a mistake.

"I bet that's what you wanted all along! You took the captain spot away from me so that your perfect life could be even more perfect!" I yelled. There was a little voice in the back of my mind that was telling me that I was going too far, but I ignored it.

It seems my subconscious was right because every ounce of guilt dropped from her face and was replaced by ferocity, "You think my life is perfect!?!" She said in a voice that pretty much told me to stop now if I valued my life. But again I didn't want to listen to it.

"Oh, I know it is! With your perfect car, perfect grades, and perfect parents! I'm sure getting captain was nothing new to you at all!!!" I yelled, getting louder with each word. There was no turning back now.

"You know nothing about me, or my life." She said gravely getting up in my face threateningly.

"Oh but I do! 'I'm Bella, I'm too good for any of the guys at this school so I just sit there and don't talk to anybody!'" I said, mocking her.

"Fine, you think I think I'm too good for everybody; I'll prove you wrong. I bet that I can get asked to the dance by ten different guys tomorrow." She said trying to end the argument.

"Alright, you're on! There's one more day until the dance and I know for a fact that no guy will even get close to you since you turned me down!" I replied triumphantly. I knew that every guy at Forks high was too afraid of her to ask her out or to the dance.

She seemed to bite back a remark and brushed past me saying, "Well we'll see."

I was still angry as I stormed to my car and got in.

I sat there for a while thinking over everything that happened.

_I don't think anyone has ever been able to make me this angry before._

I started my car and drove home, wanting to go to bed.

_Tomorrow is going to be a long day._

**A/N****: ****PLEASE REVIEW!!!**** OKAY, SO THIS CHAPTER WAS A LITTLE SAD, BUT IT WAS NEEDED FOR WHAT I HAVE PLANNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, WHICH IS GOING TO BE REALLY GOOD. THE MORE REVIEWS I GET, THE FASTER YOU WILL GET TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

The following morning I had determination set on my mind.

No matter what I did I couldn't shake off the angry feeling I got every time the argument that Edward and I had, pulled up in my mind.

It made me want to smash something.

The plan for today was for me to meet Alice at the mall where we were going to spend time getting me a new wardrobe. Afterwards we would get my makeup done somewhere there.

I mentally winced at the last part of the plan. I hated makeup.

I would just have to make this sacrifice so that I could prove Edward wrong. By the end of the day, he was going to eat his words.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At quarter of eight I pulled out of the driveway and headed in the direction that my GPS told me.

In no time flat I pulled into the parking lot of the mall and parked next to the bright yellow Porsche that I recognized as Alice's car.

Getting out I locked my car and threw my bag over my shoulder.

Because of the fact that I was going to be changing into a lot of clothes, I decided to put my weapons in the bag.

I don't think I could get away with the knives strapped to my inner arms while wearing a tank top.

Alice spotted me and got out of her own car smiling, just as energetic as always.

_It should be illegal to have so much energy in the morning._

"So are you excited?" She asked linking her arm with mine and pulling me in the direction of the double doors that led to the mall.

I grunted in response and started looking around for a coffee shop so that I could get a jump-start on the day.

No matter how persistent Alice was in trying to drag me into the nearest store, I was still stronger.

I easily towed her into the Starbucks I spotted; I stood in line and noticed that she was narrowing her eyes at me.

I sighed and said, "Let me just get some coffee, and then you can drag me wherever you want."

Her eyes widened and smile formed on her lips.

_What did I just get myself into?_

After that she stopped complaining and even got herself a coffee.

I sat down to drink my caramel macchiato and she sat across from me.

She fiddled with the lid on her cup and I could immediately tell that she wanted to say something. I just sipped my coffee and waited for her to get it off her chest.

"Hey Bella?" She started.

"Mhhm." I replied taking another sip, happy now that there was caffeine in my system.

"It's not that I'm totally psyched that you want to go shopping with me, but why did you ask me? As far as I could tell, you aren't a big fan of buying clothes." She asked with a curious expression.

Setting down my cup of coffee I started telling her about what happened between Edward and I yesterday.

By the end of my story her expression was similar to the one I had on my face the day before.

"I can't believe he did that!" She said in a hushed angry tone.

"So you see my dilemma." I said taking another sip.

"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure that by the end of today, you'll have every guy drooling over you." She said "_Not that they haven't been already."_

"What?" I asked, she had mumbled the last part and I didn't quite catch what she said.

"Oh nothing." She said feigning innocence, "Why don't we get going, we have a lot of work to do."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Do we have to?" I whined as we stood in front of Abercrombie and Fitch.

"Yes, we do. You are in desperate need of clothing and this is one of the best places to get it." She said tugging me into the store.

"Fine." I said in defeat and allowed her to drag me into my own personal hell.

I had never been in an Abercrombie before. Most of the clothing I wore was given out by the Academy. The clothes were specially made or reinforced to help us on missions. And I don't think that a pink mini skirt has ever been standard issue for any mission.

"Ok, start looking around and tell me if you find anything you like." She said shoving me to the right side of the store.

I have to admit; shopping was a little out of my league. It's not like there was a course at the Academy that was called Shopping 101. And my parents didn't exactly like to take me out.

Unsure of what I was supposed to be looking for or doing I started randomly searching through clothes.

When Alice found me again, she wasn't happy. She took one look at the beige pants and dark green long sleeve shirt that I was holding and immediately snatched them out of my hands.

I watched as she chucked them on top of a random rack of clothes and gave me a disapproving look.

"Ok, so obviously letting you choose your own clothes was a mistake. Here, why don't you just go into the dressing room and I'll bring you stuff to try on." She said pointing towards the direction in which I assumed was the dressing room.

"You're the expert." I said as I dutifully followed her instructions and headed towards the back of the store.

I had only been inside the stall for a few minutes when garments of multiple colors started flying over the door.

A majority of them were pink and I grimaced at the sight.

"I know you're not happy, but just try them on." Alice said, obviously detecting my sour mood.

I sighed and dug through the pile she threw over the door.

I found a pair of jeans that weren't too bad and threw on one of the shirts that wasn't pink.

Stepping out of the dressing room I faced Alice and raised an eyebrow, silently asking her opinion.

"Hmmm…the jeans aren't too bad, much better then what you usually wear, but I think we should go with something a little different for today." She said with a small smile on her face.

She sifted through the massive pile of clothing that she had picked out and came up with a dark pink skirt and a lighter pink top. She either didn't notice the grimace on my face or didn't care about my opinion, because she forced the clothes into my arms and shoved me back into the dressing room.

I sighed, knowing that I wasn't going to be let out of the dressing room unless I tried it on. I pulled on the skirt first, followed by the shirt. I ignored the mirror, knowing that my opinion wouldn't make a difference anyways. If Alice didn't like it, there was no way I was leaving the store with it.

I opened the door feeling very self-conscious. I had never worn a skirt before and I kept pulling down the hem, trying to make it feel longer then it actually was.

"I'm not sure about this Alice, are you sure that we can't just go with jeans and a long sleeve shirt, I mean it is pretty cold outside." I whined, trying to convince her to let me wear something more comfortable.

"Are you kidding, you look fantastic! There is no way in hell that I'm letting you wear jeans after putting this on." She said moving her fingers in a command to spin so that she could see how it looked from a different angle.

"Does that mean I have to get _more_ skirts?" I whined all the while spinning in a slow circle letting her have her inspection.

"Oh don't complain. Did you even look at yourself in the mirror? The shirt fits great too. Why don't you go back in and I'm going to go grab you some more things to try on, okay?" She said with a smile, obviously excited about the clothing.

I nodded in response and watched her disappear around the dressing room corner. Sighing I returned into the dressing preparing for another round of clothing.

I glanced at the mirror and had to do a double take. The reflected image was not one I was used to seeing.

The pink skirt that ended a little lower then mid-thigh made it look like I had long legs and the color made my skin seems tanner then usual.

Next I examined the shirt. It was a halter-top that flowed out at the bottom; the neckline was lower then I was used, making it seem that I actually had cleavage.

I think calling myself pretty would be going to far, but I had to admit I definitely looked better then before.

I soon found myself turning, trying to look at my new image at every angle. I didn't even notice Alice until she spoke up, knocking me from my reverie.

"Fond of your new outfit Bella?" She said with a knowing smile on her face. I couldn't help but nod in response.

She smiled even brighter and said, "Good, because I've got a lot more skirts here for you to try on."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We left Abercrombie with four bags stuffed with clothes. Alice had taken pity on me and allowed me to purchase the jeans along with the rest of the skirts that occupied the rest of the space in the other bags. I had charged it all to the Academy credit card; it had an unlimited amount and I was aloud to use it whenever I needed it. Alice had tried to convince me to let her buy all the clothing but I was relentless and didn't let her anywhere near the cashier.

I ended up wearing the pink skirt outfit out of the store; I needed to wear something to school. Alice next dragged me in the direction of Macy's and again shoved me into one of the open dressing room stalls and gave me direct orders to stay put.

Minutes later Alice returned with her arms loaded with dresses in all shapes and colors.

I threw her a questioning glance; she responded by saying, "You have to have something to wear to the dance." As if it was obvious.

"Oh, right." I said, I had almost forgotten about the dance. My first dance. It goes without telling that I was beginning to feel a little nervous.

We went through dozens of dresses. Pink, red, orange lavender, periwinkle, lilac and so on and so on. Some with bows, others with sparkles. None of them seemed right though.

I began to tire and eventually just started grabbing dresses at random. Snatching one from the ever growing pile I pulled it on and stepped through the door, ready for Alice's opinion.

"It's perfect." Alice said immediately with a smile on her face, inspecting the dress.

"You sure?" I said, "You don't think it's too much…I don't know-"

"No, it's perfect." She said with finality.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Do we have to?" I whined, trying to put off the inevitable.

"Yes, we do." Alice said dragging me by my right arm towards the makeup department.

She was surprisingly strong for such a small person.

She shoved me into one of the chairs by the brightly lit counter. I looked around and grimaced at the sight of eyelash curlers and lipstick.

Alice waved over one of the employees and started talking in a language that I had no way of following. I would occasionally hear the word 'eyeliner' or 'mascara', but other then that I was at a loss of what was planned for my future torment.

The next thirty minutes was one of the worst of my life. No matter how much I squirmed and complained, Alice would just glare at me and instruct the professional to continue with her work.

I tried looking over at the small stand up mirror on the counter but Alice just grabbed my chin and told me that I had to wait till it was finished.

After having just about every part of my face painted or prodded, the woman brought out a curling iron and I shrank back into the chair.

"Oh Bella relax, she's just going to curl the ends to give your hair some volume." She told me in a voice a parent would use when talking to a stubborn child.

I grumbled but allowed the woman to come forward and curl my hair.

After what felt to me like forever, Alice told me that I was finished.

I opened my eyes, which I had been scrunching together from the beginning, and saw Alice with a very pleased look on her face. She grabbed my hand and led me over to the full-length mirror a few aisles down.

I looked at the reflection, and was at a loss for words.

After a few moments I manages to get out one word, "Wow."

Alice nodded in understanding, seeming very pleased with the outcome of her latest project.

"What now?" I asked, looking at her in the reflection.

"Now, we go to school." She said with a wicked smile growing on her face that I couldn't help but reflect.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

It was now lunchtime and there was still no sign of Bella.

The scene on the soccer field kept replaying in my mind like a broken record.

My anger at Bella seemed to grow every time I remembered the words that coach announced to the team.

I swept my eyes over the entire cafeteria, searching to see if I had passed over her by mistake. But no, she was nowhere in the lunchroom.

_Maybe she chickened out. I mean, did she really think that she could get asked to the dance be ten different guys, the day of the dance? _ I thought with satisfaction, though it didn't seem to make me feel any better about what happened yesterday.

News had traveled quickly around the entire school and our argument seemed to be the hot topic of the day. I internally flinched every time I heard her name roll off the tongues of my fellow classmates.

I was soon joined at my table by most of the cheerleaders, minus Alice and Rosalie; along with some of my fellow teammates from the soccer team.

Lauren slid into the seat across from me. "So Edward, I hear that you still don't have a date for the dance." She said, not even trying to be subtle.

I nodded in response. She was right, a few days ago I had planned on asking Bella to the dance, but that was way out of the question now. Tanya was also no good; I had just broken up with her yesterday. So, why not?

"Would you like to go with me?" I asked in a tone that made it clear that I was not asking because I was interested in her.

Her eyes immediately lit up and she said, "Really? I thought you were going to ask someone else. But I would love to go with you!"

I didn't need to ask to know who she thought I was going to ask. Just that thought brought up the anger that had been boiling inside of me ever since yesterday. I gritted my teeth and concentrated on not crushing the soda can in my hand.

Who knows maybe I'll actually enjoy the dance, it's not like Bella's going to go, she's not even here today.

I closed my eyes as I took a sip of my soda, trying to get rid of the migraine that had risen up in that last bought of anger.

I listened to the sounds around me, chairs scraping against the linoleum floor, people yelling the occasional profanity across the room at one another. I let theses sounds flow through my head. It was during a large sip of my soda that I realized that the noise level had died down dramatically.

Confused I opened my eyes and looked around, following the gazes of everyone in the room to the cafeteria door.

What I saw made me spray the soda that was in my mouth across the table, covering Lauren in sticky layer of orange. She screeched but I wasn't paying attention to her.

For across the cafeteria was none other then Bella Swan. But this was not the ordinary Bella that we had all seen before.

Every eye followed her as she made her way across the room carrying a tray in both of her hands.

She was nothing like what we were used to seeing. Instead of the usual sweatpants and baggy shirt, she was wearing an outfit that could have come straight out of every guy's fantasy about her.

She was wearing a skirt that made her legs seem miles long and a top that revealed the soft skin on her shoulders and the cleavage on her chest.

As she got closer I noticed the fresh coat of makeup that layered her face and the soft curls that framed her face. She was wearing a smoky eyeliner that made her eyes even more enticing then before, and a light pink lipstick that left to the imagination.

She seemed unfazed that every eye and whisper was focused on her. She just floated by, not even sparing a glance at anyone except for the girl trailing behind her, who I immediately recognized as my sister Alice.

The talking grew louder as she got farther away. She and Alice finally chose a secluded table next to one of the windows.

It was increasingly difficult to remember the fact that I was angry at her. Throughout lunch I couldn't help but sneak glances at her. I did not fail to notice the long line of guys waiting to talk to her. _No doubt wanting to ask her to the dance._

Remembering the dance I looked back at my date, who was still covered with orange soda. She was hopelessly dabbing at her shirt with a wet paper towel trying to get the orange out. To anyone else, Lauren may seem pretty; but to me, after glancing back at Bella, she was nothing in comparison.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

"Are you sure about this Alice?" I asked for the hundredth time as we made our way down the empty hallway towards the cafeteria doors.

"Don't worry, it'll be great. Just think of the looks on their faces once they see you." She said guiding me toward the door.

"That's what I'm afraid of." I said back with worry in my eyes.

"I'll be right behind you the entire time. Just think about what Edward said yesterday, don't you want to prove him wrong?" She said in an angry bitter tone.

I nodded my head. Took a deep breath. And pushed open the doors to the cafeteria.

Not many people noticed my entrance at first, but those that did nudged their neighbors and pointed towards my direction.

I took another deep breath and allowed Alice to guide me towards the food where I grabbed a tray and put random items of food on it, going rather quickly.

Alice and I turned back towards the cafeteria, which was starting to focus on us.

I swallowed audibly and started walking towards the back of the large room. Whispers followed my steps as more people's heads shot up to look at me. I was used to people whispering as I would walk by, but this time I was positive it was for a different reason altogether.

Keeping my expression cool, I scanned the room with my eyes as I walked. My hands began to tremble so I gripped the tray I was holding, securely with both hands.

It took me a while to find Edward, but I was able to spot him by the large amount of soda that sprayed out of his mouth when he saw me for the first time.

It took all my will power to look away from him and not crack a smile. Although, I noticed with a glance backwards that Alice couldn't help it, as a grin seemed to be plastered to her face.

I continued what seemed to be the longest walk of my life and finally sat down at one of the empty tables on the far side of the cafeteria with a sigh of relief.

Alice scooted into the seat next to me with the same grin still plastered onto her face.

"That was so cool!" She said, trying to get me to join in on the excitement.

"Yeah, but do you think they like it?" I asked, still trying to get the worry out of my voice.

Alice looked at me as if I was stupid and motioned with her hand for me to look back at the cafeteria. Confused I looked up to see a few dozen of the guys getting up and quickly making their way over to our table.

My eyes widened and I looked back over at Alice. She seemed to be digging in her bag for something with a determined look on her face. A look of satisfaction came over her face as she pulled out a clipboard and a few pencils.

I raised my eyebrow in question and she replied, "Well someone has to keep track of all the guys that are about to ask you to the dance; and since it seems that you're going to be pretty busy for a while, I'll do it." She told me with a smirk

I was about to retort when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I was met with the sight of a guy with bright blonde hair and green eyes, and a nervous expression on his face.

I raised my eyebrow in response to the shoulder tap.

"Ummm…do you think…that I…could possibly…ummm…joinyouforlunch?" He asked, ending in a quick breath.

I glanced at Alice, who had a small smile on her face, she gave me an encouraging nod and I turned back to the guy.

"Sure", I said, gesturing to the empty seat across from me.

He smiled a large smile and quickly ran around the table and took the seat, as if I was going to tell him to leave if he moved too slowly.

I was about to ask him his name, when I was cut off by Alice.

"What's your name, grade level and phone number?" She asked, not caring if she was being abrupt or not.

I rolled my eyes and looked at the guy, who began rambling off all the information, which Alice quickly wrote down on the clipboard.

The reception that he received seemed to indicate to other guys that you wouldn't be greeted with rejection if you came over to our table.

It wasn't long before our entire table was swarmed, guys were trying to shoulder their way forward so that they made sure that I saw them.

"Hi, I'm Jackson." Said one guy with long dark hair.

Another shoved him out of the way and introduced himself as Daniel.

I lost track of the number of guys that offered to be my date for the dance, but I was sure that it was getting close to the number of times I had blushed in the last ten minutes, which was getting higher and higher every second.

Alice was writing down numbers so quickly that some of them were barely legible. I received offers of food and drinks. They were like moths attracted to a bright light.

I had never been popular before, so the sudden decrease of personal space was a little unnerving.

Much to the disappointment of the guys surrounding my table, the bell rang. _Uh-oh, I still have to pick one of them. _

I looked over at Alice for guidance, but she just handed me the clipboard with a smile on her face.

She looked over at the guys who were still gathered around our table, waiting to see who got picked and said, "Excuse us a moment."

We both got up from the table and walked over to a secluded spot of the cafeteria that was now emptying out slowly.

"So which one do you like Bella, we have to pick one quickly." She told me as her eyes roamed over the long list of names.

"It really doesn't matter to me, why don't you just pick?" I said uninterestedly as I searched through the crowd of people waiting to file out of the double doors at the back end.

"Alright, if I had to choose, I would go with Jason." She told me, referring to the guy that was brave enough to come to our table first. "He seems pretty nice, and he's cute."

I shrugged in response and said, "Alright" It really didn't matter to me who my date was, as long as Edward saw that I had one.

We headed back over to the table to let them know who we decided on. The news was received with many groans and one loud, "Yes!" from Jason.

I watched as the disappointed guys shuffled out of the room, some still glancing at me hopefully. Jason came scrambling forward and told me that he would pick me up at my house at 8:30, but I shook my head and told him that it would be easier if I just met him here.

He had a goofy smile on his face as he shrugged, trying to act nonchalantly, and not pulling it off. Once everything was settled he grabbed his stuff and gave me one last smile before rushing out the door to his next class. I was already bound to be late to mine, and Alice her's.

I sighed from exhaustion and collapsed onto the table bench. I glanced over at Alice to find that she was still grinning from ear to ear.

Still chuckling she said, "Did you see what my brother did when we first walked in?"

I nodded and couldn't resist the grin that appeared on my face.

"Come on, we should probably get to class." She said pulling me up from the bench and handing me my bag.

We headed down the now almost empty hall, towards our next classes. We parted ways with one last smile and I shouldered open the door to the music room.

The teacher looked up and I stated my apologies for being late. He waved the tardiness off with a wave of his hand and motioned towards the coach that I had become used to sitting in everyday.

I sat there for the next hour patiently, but shot up as soon as the bell rang.

I was one of the first ones to my last class of the day and I made my way back to the familiar seat at the back of the room.

It took me a while to remember that Edward would be occupying the seat next to me for the next hour. _Well this should be interesting._

The rest of the class shuffled in and took their appropriate seats. Many of the guys would smile at me or wave, hoping that I would choose them instead.

Edward was one of the last ones to file in as he made his way over to his seat next to me, getting many jealous looks from other guys.

I couldn't read the expression on his face as he sat down. It seemed to be one of anger, pain and longing though. I mentally flinched and looked away, towards the front of the room.

There was still a lot of talking going around, the teacher had not come in yet, when Edward said without looking at me, "So, who are you going with?"

"Jason." I said, not looking in his direction either.

He didn't seem to have much reaction, so I continued the small conversation, "You?"

"Lauren" He replied and I thought I could detect a hint of regret in his voice, but told myself that I was just imagining things.

"Alright class, I'm going to come around and collect your homework, then we're all going to head over to the library for some research time." The teacher said, getting everyone's attention.

_Whoops._ I thought. I hadn't done the homework last night, I was too stressed out. And glancing over at Edward, he seemed to be thinking the same thing.

When the teacher arrived at our table, I looked at him sheepishly and received a disapproving look in return.

"Did neither of you two do the homework?" He asked looking at each of us.

We both shook our heads in silent response.

He sighed and said, "Well, then I guess you two will just have to stay here while the rest of us go to the library. You needed to do last night's homework in order to be prepared for today."

Neither of us said anything in response so he just sighed and headed over to the next table.

Soon the entire class, minus me and Edward, was shuffling out the door. The teacher gave us both one last accusing look, then shut the door and locked it behind him. Leaving Edward and I by ourselves.

Neither of us said a word, letting the silence carry on.

I breathed out a large sigh and rested my chin on the table, closing my eyes.

I felt Edward staring at me, but I was too exhausted to tell him off.

The silence was finally broken when he said, "So, you went shopping with my sister this morning?"

His tone wasn't accusing, just curious; so I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"Yeah, we went to the mall." I replied leaning back in my chair, stretching my legs out, which were starting to fall asleep. I let my head fall back and I looked at the ceiling, letting out a large sigh as I did so.

Edward didn't think I saw him, but I could practically feel his eyes roaming across my body.

Feeling slightly self-conscious I pulled myself forward, causing Edward to glance away quickly, so as not to let me know he was looking at me.

Yesterday's fight kept replaying in my mind, over and over again. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't push it away. It was starting to make me feel sick to my stomach.

"I wasn't going to take it you know." I said quietly, looking down at my hands, which were resting on the table.

A confused expression came over Edward's face and he quickly looked at me.

"What?" He asked, scrunching his eyebrows together.

"The captain spot, I wasn't going to take it." I said, still looking at my hands, "I knew how much you wanted it, so I was going to tell the coach that you should have it."

He didn't say anything in response, just moved his eyes from my face, back to the front of the room, an intense look on his face.

I figured that he thought I was lying, so I didn't say anything else and just watched the clock as time ticked by, waiting for this class to be over.

Forty-five minutes later, the bell finally rang and I quickly gathered my stuff and swept out the door of the classroom. I rushed over to my locker. I was trying to go as fast as I could, I desperately wanted to get out of there.

I was on the last digit of my combination when Edward seemed to finally catch up to me.

He startled me, so when I opened my locker up, all the notes and papers that guys had shoved inside my locker flew out, landing on the floor by my feet.

I gave and exasperated sigh and started to pick them all up. There must have been at least four dozen of them. Some with phone numbers and others with suggestions that made me grimace.

The next thing I knew, Edward was on the floor next to me, helping me pick them all up.

When we had all of them gathered in our arms I gave him a confused, but thankful look.

"So, do you want me to stick all these in your backpack?" He asked reading some of them with one eyebrow raised.

"Hardly." I said as I dumped the pile that was in my hands right into the garbage can. This seemed to give him some satisfaction for some reason and he dumped his in right after mine.

Dusting my hands off uncomfortably against my skirt I said, "Well…ummm…thanks."

I turned away quickly and went back to my locker, trying not to trip in the process.

I could feel Edward's eyes on me as I moved, except this time he was looking at my face for once.

He leaned against his locker, which was just two down from mine, and observed me while I grabbed the binders I was going to need, making me feel self-conscious.

When finished, I closed my locker door with a bang and spun on him, "What?" I asked.

For once, his cool composure seemed to have been faltering.

"I just…ummm…wanted to say that I'm…sorry, about yesterday, and how I acted towards you before. And that I think you should take the spot as captain." He said completely serious, with a little bit of sadness in his eyes.

This caught me off guard; I didn't think that apologies came very easy to him.

"I already told you that I don't want the spot, it's yours." I said shouldering my bag and turning away.

He immediately reached out, putting a hand on my shoulder in urgency and turned me back around. It felt like a spark had gone through my body when his hand made contact with my bare skin. I looked down at it resting on my shoulder and he seemed to realize what he had done and quickly took his hand away, feeling as if he might have crossed a line. The flow of electricity stopped, and it felt like something was missing.

In urgency he talked quickly, trying to get what he wanted to say across, just in case I decided to turn away again.

"What if we shared the captain's spot?" He asked, searching my eyes, with hope gleaming in his own.

Shifting my bag from one shoulder to the other, I rolled the idea over in my mind. _That could work. That way, Edward gets to show his father that he's captain, and I get to give my input at games and practices._

"Alright, I'll be co-captain with you." I said and a relieved expression came over his face; "We should tell the coach though, he still thinks that I'm captain." I continued.

"Okay, cool, we'll tell him at practice on Monday." A grin formed on his face, similar to the one that Alice seemed to have all day. _Must be a family thing._

With that, he gave me one last smile and headed down the hall in the other direction. I watched him go, leaning against my locker. I was pretty transfixed, so when Alice came up behind me, I nearly had a heart attack.

"Who are you looking at all dreamy eyed?" She asked peeking around me to look down the hall.

"No one", I said turning around to face her. She gave me a disbelieving look, but changed the topic nonetheless.

"So how did your class with Edward go?" She asked, wanting all the juicy details.

"It was…fine. He was actually nice; I think we worked things out. When he apologized I-"

"Wait, did you just say he apologized? Edward NEVER apologizes," She asked unbelievingly

I nodded in response and told her what had just taken place just five minutes ago. By the end she was smiling that smile that I had come to realize meant trouble.

"Well, we can continue this story later, because right now we need to get started on your makeup for tonight." She said tugging me towards the direction of the parking lot.

I grimaced but allowed her to drag me, knowing that there was no way to stop her once she got an idea in her head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I followed Bella out of the classroom, god she was fast. It had taken me the rest of the period to figure out that she wasn't lying. And that she was in fact going to turn down the offered spot. I felt like an idiot and a jerk for what I said to her yesterday. It was now or never, I had to try to make it up to her.

By the time I caught up with her she was already opening her locker.

When she noticed me standing there she got a shock and her locker opened abruptly, spilling papers all over the ground.

She sighed and bent down to pick them up. I immediately swooped down to help her.

She was surprised to see me helping and gave me a confused look. I looked down at the papers that were in my hands and read some of them. Most of them contained names and phone numbers, but some were very very suggestive and made me raise one eyebrow. It took my a second to realize why she had all those in there. Apparently I wasn't the only one that noticed her new look today.

"So, do you want me to stick all these in your backpack?" I asked.

"Hardly." She said as she dumped the pile that was in her hands right into the garbage can. I followed her lead and dumped my pile in as well, grinning at the fact that she was rejecting them all.

She seemed to become very uncomfortable suddenly and said, "Well…ummm…thanks."

And turned to go back to her locker

I watched her face as she moved, trying to memorize every aspect of it.

When she finished digging in her locker she shut her locker quickly and spun on me, "What?" she asked.

This caught me off guard and I stuttered a little bit over what I wanted to say.

"I just…ummm…wanted to say that I'm…sorry, about yesterday, and how I acted towards you before. And that I think you should take the spot as captain." I said completely serious.

"I already told you that I don't want the spot, it's yours." I said shouldering my bag and turning away.

I immediately reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder in urgency and turned her back around. A flow of electricity went through me as my hand made contact with the soft skin on her shoulder. I she was looking down at my hand and I immediately drew it away.

"What if we shared the captain's spot?" I asked, searching her eyes.

She seemed to roll it over in her mind, trying to see if she liked the idea or not.

"Alright, I'll be co-captain with you." she said, "We should tell the coach though, he still thinks that I'm captain." She continued.

"Okay, cool, we'll tell him at practice on Monday." A huge smile broke out on my face and I was relieved that she was willing to be captain with me.

I gave her a smile and turned away, walking down the hall at a swift pace.

**A/N: Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated, I'm going to try to get the story moving again. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. The next one is going to be really really good, so review and I'll update faster.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I made a point to stop at the grocery store on my way home from school. I was running low on food at the house and I didn't want to have to resort to pizza being delivered.

Alice was meeting me at my house later, so I figured that I could just make dinner for the both of us before we left.

I strolled down the colorfully decorated aisles, cans of every shape and color with stickers telling me that they were on sale.

I settle for buying some pasta for tonight. I could cook it fast enough that I would still have plenty of time to get myself ready for the dance.

Just the thought of the dance made my stomach clench uncomfortably. This was the first mission I had ever been on that involved wearing a dress to stay under cover.

I pushed the thought out of my mind until later and continued my shopping.

With a basket full of food hanging on my arm, I got in line at the cash register.

I placed my basket on the conveyer belt and pulled out my cell phone.

I opened up the GPS tracking system, just to make sure that everything was still ok.

And sure enough, all three GPS trackers were flashing on my screen at the location labeled 'Edward's House'.

The woman in front of me paid for her groceries and started walking away, allowing me to move up to the front of the line.

Pocketing my cell phone and grabbing my wallet, I looked up with a friendly smile, only to have it fade away immediately.

It was just my luck that Mike happened to be working at the exact grocery store, at the exact register, at the exact same time that I decided to go shopping.

He smiled at me, and I could see the lust in his eyes as his eyes roamed over my outfit.

I held back a grimace and shifted on my feet uncomfortably, wishing I had brought a jacket in.

"Hey Bella! I didn't know you shopped here." He said acting nonchalant, leaning his hand against the counter.

"Yeah." Was my reply, not wanting to provoke him into a long conversation.

Much to my disappointment he seemed to lean further in, and I immediately felt my personal space be invaded, making me take a half a step back.

"So, do you have a date for the dance yet?" He asked hopefully.

I felt very relieved when I was able to say, "Yes, I am going with Jason."

The smile faded on his face, making me think that he was finally going to let me pay for the groceries and leave. But, I should have known better and that same puppy dog smile was right back up on his face as he said, "Well, maybe we could do something tomorrow together?"

"Ummm…I don't know…I'm going to be really busy doing…homework." _Wow, that sounded lame even to my own ears._

I was saved from a response from him by the woman in line behind me asking if he could possibly stop flirting with me long enough to let me pay for my groceries.

I silently thanked this woman for saving me from making more lame excuses and grabbed my groceries, leaving Mike behind the counter with a tinge of pink on his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It took me a while to get home, on account of the fact that it nearly took me twenty minutes in the store's parking lot trying to figure out how I was going to stuff all the grocery bags in my car, when most of the space was already taken with shopping bags.

It was already way past four o'clock by the time I pulled my maserati into the garage.

I took my time unloading the groceries into the various cabinets in my kitchen. By the time I was finished the kitchen had an almost lived in feeling to it that made me smile.

I was running out of things to do before I had to start making dinner so I decided to plop down in front of the TV for a while. I must have dozed off though because before I knew it the clock read 6:05, making me jump up and run to the kitchen to start boiling the water for the pasta.

I had just started stirring the pasta around inside, when I heard a small knock on the door, followed by the doorbell.

Putting down the wooden spoon I had in my hand, I walked down the hall and opened the door to a very excited Alice.

She had a large smile on her face and her eyes seemed to look around, curious about my house. She had her dress and other things in a bag that was tucked under arm. We had agreed that it would be easier if she just changed here as well.

I let her in and directed her towards the kitchen, where I went back to work on dinner.

"So Bella, aren't you excited about the dance! It's going to be amazing!" Her excitement rubbed off on me a little and I smiled back at her.

She started poking around, suddenly very curious about my house. I had spent a lot of time beforehand making sure that there was nothing out that I didn't want her to see.

"I love your house Bella, are your parents still out of town in…where are they again?" She asked, turning back to look at me.

"Toronto." I blurted out, it was the first thing that came to mind that made some sense. Though why my 'parents' would be in Canada is beyond me.

She seemed to buy it though and headed back into the kitchen, where she picked right back up on her excitement for the dance.

I finished cooking the pasta and heated up some ready-made sauce. I ate in silence, listening to Alice talk about Jasper and how great he was going to look in the tux that she picked out for him.

I smiled into my bowl of spaghetti, feeling quite a bit of sympathy towards jasper for the shopping trip that must have been.

She glanced at the clock once we were done and immediately told me to get my dress on, because we still had to do my makeup.

I took a quick shower, blow-drying my hair so that it would be easier for Alice to work on later.

Walking into my room, I pulled out the dress I bought at the mall this morning with Alice. Slipping it on and tying the straps behind my neck, I admired myself in the mirror.

The dress was a deep blue color that accented my skin nicely, making it glow. It was longer then the skirt I wore at school today, going to about mid shin, but the cut on the bottom was angled up on one side, going to about knee height. It had a slit that went up on the shorter side, reaching a little lower then mid thigh.

Alice had thought it was perfect at the store, I thought I looked okay, and I was sure that other girls were bound to look much better then me.

The only reason I agreed to Alice making me buy this dress was because the style could prove useful to me, in terms of protecting Edward.

Opening my door quietly I tiptoed across the hallway and went into my weapons room. After going through all of my security measures, I opened the closet that always made me smile.

Thinking about the dress I was wearing, I went straight passed the gun section and stood in front of the section on the wall that had knives of all shapes and sizes.

I smiled to myself as I thought about another good reason for buying this dress. I pulled down one of the lighter, thinner blades and put it in a holster that could be strapped to a thigh.

I strapped it on and pulled the dress back to its original fit and smiled at the result.

The blade was completely unnoticeable. I had placed the hilt of it downwards, just about the slit in my dress. It did seem a little bit risqué now that I thought about it. But it was better then nothing. And besides there would be no way of me hiding a gun under this dress, seeing as it seemed to hug my skin.

Satisfied, I left the weapons room, making sure to lock everything up as I went.

It would be **very** bad if Alice were to stumble in here by accident.

I walked downstairs to find Alice already changed into her dress, having used the downstairs bathroom.

"You look fantastic Bella, just wait until your date sees you!" She said. I smiled at the compliment and looked at the dress she was wearing.

It was a light pink one that went to just about her knees with thin spaghetti straps on her shoulders, and for lack of a better word to describe it I would just say that it was very Alice-y.

She looked like a supermodel compared to me, though Alice could probably look perfect in anything. I looked down at my own dress and felt incredibly inferior.

"Okay, now I get to do your hair and makeup." She said gleefully, dragging me in the direction of the bathroom downstairs that I hardy ever used.

Forty-five minutes later, after Alice had coated every single spot on my face with makeup and pulled my hair until it finally cooperated, she finally deemed me acceptable.

We were almost ready to head out when she shoved a pair of stilettos in my hands.

I looked up, starting to protest, but stopped myself by the look I saw on Alice's face. It was clear that I would not be leaving without these shoes strapped to my ankles.

I looked at myself in the mirror, now that my ensemble was complete. As I thought about it, it seemed to shock me how much I had changed already since I got here.

I wondered what the people back at Meyer Academy would think if they saw me, the infamous Bella Swan: the killer with no emotions, in a dress and heels on my way to a high school dance.

The more I thought about it, the more ashamed I felt about myself. Dressing like this goes against everything I felt and believed in before coming on this mission.

I sighed internally and just told myself that I had to do whatever was necessary to get the job done.

"Are you almost ready to head out?" Alice asked me after checking in the mirror to make sure that her makeup was still perfect. Which it was.

"Yeah." I said with a smile, I was starting to catch the excitement that Alice seemed to bring with her wherever she went.

It didn't take us long to get there, me in my Maserati, and Alice in her Porsche.

Alice got out of her car and came up next to me, she was nearly doing jumping jacks she was so excited.

We started walking towards the sound of loud music and followed the large group of people that were heading towards the gym.

My palms were starting to get sweaty from nervousness. This was going to be my first dance, and quite frankly I wasn't sure what to expect. Oddly, the fact that I had a lethal weapon strapped to my leg brought me a lot of comfort as I continued walking along with the large amount of people. It was a security blanket of sorts that I knew I could rely on, as strange as that may be.

I had to keep glancing at my feet to make sure that I wouldn't trip, _Curse Alice for making me wear these!_

I looked up to the sound of my name being called and almost fell flat on my face. I was saved from embarrassment though by Jason, who had reached out and steadied me.

I gave him a grateful smile, steadying myself enough that I wouldn't need his help to stand.

"You look incredible Bella!" He said, linking my arm with his. I blushed at the compliment and took the opportunity to see what he and everyone else was wearing. Jason was in a nice black suit with a black bow tie. Jasper, who was now looking at Alice lovingly, was in a black tux, making them look perfect together.

I caught a glimpse of Rosalie as she headed off with Emmett, and felt my self-confidence drop like a rock. She looked like she should be on the cover of a magazine; she was wearing a long red dress and had her hair up in a fancy bun.

I didn't get a good look at Emmett though, but I assumed that he was wearing a tux as well.

After handing our tickets over, Jason and I headed inside the gym, which seemed to shake with the beat of the music coming out of the speakers near the DJ on the other side of the room.

As we made our way over to one of the tables on the side of the dance floor, I got many looks of incredulity, while Jason got ones of jealousy. I realized, looking over at him that he seemed to be loving all the attention the two of us were getting, soaking up the popularity. To add to the effect he wrapped his arm around my waist, this seemed to set off a small feeling of unease but I shook it off. Unlike him, I wanted to go crawl in hole; I had had enough people whispering about me lately.

There was a prickling on the back of my neck as I felt someone staring at me; it was different from the other people looking. Curious, I turned my head to look at who it was.

And there, across the room, with Lauren wrapping herself around his arm, was Edward Cullen.

He didn't seem to even notice that she was there. Our eyes connected and I could still feel the pull that his gaze had on me, even from twenty feet away. He gave me a small smile, which I couldn't help but return, it seemed as if my body did not want to listen to me today.

He was wearing an obviously expensive tux, a dark black one that was the perfect color on him. I had to admit that he definitely looked very smooth. I looked back up to his face to see his smile had faded and his gaze had shifted to Jason's arm wrapped around my waist.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I walked into the Gym with Lauren clinging to my arm uncomfortably.

I was starting to regret coming to the dance, especially with Lauren as my date. I had spent all last year trying to avoid her. Yet here I was at Winter Formal with her clinging to me like glue.

The only upside was that maybe I would have a chance to see Bella. I was glad that I had been able to talk to her and work things out. I still felt like an idiot though for accusing her and then saying all those awful things. I was surprised that she was even talking to me.

But right now I'd be happy to have her as a friend then have her hating my guts.

I ran a hand through my unruly hair, trying unsuccessfully for it to get into some sort of order. I looked around, noticing that the place was starting to fill up quite a bit more, finally getting somewhere.

I craned my neck up trying to get a glimpse of the door over all the people heads on the dance floor.

"Who are you looking for Eddie?" Lauren whined, pulling on my sleeve like an annoying child.

I grimaced at the name Eddie and tore my gaze away from the door to look back at her.

"I was looking for…. my sister. Yeah, I wanted to make sure that she has a ride home tonight." I said lying through my teeth.

"I'm sure she could take your car tonight." She said. At my confused look she elaborated, "You could come home with me." Showing me what I assumed she thought was a seductive smile. I tried not to grimace.

Instead of responding, I turned my head back to the other side of the room, continuing my search for Bella. I got excited when I saw my sister, knowing that Bella had to be close by.

My eyes quickly scanned over all the people in that area, until they landed on a girl wearing a blue dress. That's when my mind almost went blank and my mouth went dry.

She was stunning.

She looked even more amazing then she did when I first saw her this afternoon at school.

The blue dress she was wearing illuminated her skin, making it seem as if it was glowing. Her hair was set so that the sides were pulled back in a clip while the rest of it flowed down the exposed part of her back that was revealed by the dress. She was wearing stilettos, probably my sister's doing, they had that same effect that made her legs seem tantalizingly long. She shifted slightly, exposing the slit in the side of her dress that sent a shiver down my spine.

She seemed to sense me ogling her because she turned to look at me. Even though we must have been twenty feet away or so, I could tell that she was looking straight at me. The pull from her eyes seemed to draw me in like a fishing line. I couldn't help the involuntary smile that formed on my face, and my heart nearly flipped when I saw her smile in response.

It was a perfect moment; that is, up until the point where I realized that she had someone's arm around her waist, making the smile fall from my face.

The arm belonged to Jason, and I couldn't help but frown. This seemed to make time tick back into place and all of the sudden I became aware again of Lauren on my arm, still clinging to me. I realized that she was trying to ask me to go dance with her, which was the last thing I wanted to do right now.

Instead I sat in one of the chairs on the side and tried to keep my gaze from sliding back to Bella every five seconds.

I was very unsuccessful.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I regretfully turned away from Edward's gaze to find Alice in my face with Jasper firmly in tow.

"Come on Bella, let's go dance!" Alice said, wrenching me out of Jason's grip. Of which I was slightly thankful for.

At first I was pretty uncomfortable on the dance floor, I wasn't really sure what to do, I had never really danced before. But after a while of watching Alice, I got the hang of it and started letting myself go. I surprised myself when I admitted to Alice that I was actually having a good time.

At some point Alice had dragged Jasper and Jason on to the dance floor to join us. I kept looking around but I didn't see Edward on the dance floor.

I got a little worried so I left the dance floor, telling Alice that I wanted to take a break. My worries were settled though when I noticed Edward sitting in one of chairs watching the people dancing.

Lauren was sitting unhappily by his side, obviously she wanted to dance. I watched as plenty of girls walked up to him and asked him to dance, only to be glared away by a hostile Lauren.

It was the part of the dance when mostly slow songs were playing and I watched Alice and Jasper dance. Their relationship was very sweet and made me slightly jealous.

Every few minutes or so I would have to turn down on offer to dance by some guy, obviously hoping that I had left Jason.

The first slow song ended and was immediately followed by another, when Jason came into my line of view.

"Hey, I've been looking for you Bella. Want to dance?" He asked motioning with his head towards the dance floor.

_Well, he is my date._ I thought with a shrug.

He obviously took that as a yes and led me onto the dance floor. I wasn't exactly sure what to do, so I just sort of put my hands on his shoulders awkwardly.

The looks from other guys that I had just turned away not two minutes ago made me feel a little guilty.

It was not what I imagined slow dancing to be like. _Is it supposed to feel this awkward?_

As the song progressed I was acutely aware of Jason's hand sliding further down my dress, making me feel uncomfortable. Removing one of my hands from his shoulder I grabbed his wrist and brought it back up to my waist, giving him a warning look.

Thinking that that was the end of the problem I continued to awkwardly shuffle along with him. However, when his hand started to move again, I had it. Obviously he didn't get the hint the first time. _And I thought he looked like a nice guy this afternoon_ I thought almost laughing to myself.

I grabbed his wrist and twisted it until his face was contorted in pain. He stopped feeling me up immediately. I shoved past him, giving him a vicious glance as I passed him.

Furious, I leaned against the gym wall, brooding to myself.

Alice seemed to have followed me off the dance floor and asked me what happened. When I relayed the story to her, she got angry and seemed like she wanted to go after him herself.

Instead, she said, "I'm sorry Bella, I thought he seemed like a good guy earlier today."

"It's not your fault Alice. Why don't you go back out there and dance with Jasper." I said nudging my head in the direction of the dance floor.

"I don't want to leave you here by yourse-" She started but was cut off by a voice behind me.

"Hey Alice" Edward said, "Bella" He continued after I turned around.

"Well this is perfect!" Alice exclaimed. "Edward, you can dance with Bella!"

"What!?" We both exclaimed at the same time. I turned to face her, giving her a fierce glare, which she promptly ignored and shoved me towards Edward.

Edward and I watched as Alice disappeared into the crowd to find Jasper.

Embarrassed, I looked back at Edward. Not quite sure what to do.

"So" He said clearing his throat uncomfortably "Do you want to…you know…dance?" He asked not looking at me.

"Well I don't think your sister gave us much choice, and I don't think we want her coming back here." I said with a smile in my voice.

With that said he started walking onto the dance floor, checking behind him to make sure that I was following.

We found a fairly open spot and for the third time that night I was at a loss of what to do.

Edward seemed to sense my unease because he took my hands lightly in his and placed them on his shoulders.

Once he had his hands situated on my hips, where I could feel the electricity flowing through, he said. "So what happened to your date, Jackson or whatever his name was?" He asked using very poor acting skills.

"Jason" I stressed the name "Turned out to be a perverted pig." I growled. "What about Laura, or whatever her name was?" I asked using the same tactic as him.

"Same problem." He replied sulkily, until he couldn't help it and a smile broke out on his face. The smile was both breathtaking and contagious because soon I had an identical one on my own face.

We fell into a comfortable silence after that, his hands didn't move once, and for that I was grateful. I was remembering back to the first day when Edward couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself. _Apparently I'm not the only one who's changed._

I felt comfortable in this position, which surprised me because I wasn't a big fan of having my personal space invaded. I had spent the entire length of the song avoiding the pull of his eyes, but now I couldn't seem to help it. It was that same familiar feeling of time stopping.

His green eyes were mesmerizing and yet again I felt that familiar pull that wasn't bothersome or comforting at the same time.

I couldn't hear the music or the people surrounding us anymore, and all of the sudden he seemed to be very close. I could have sworn I was having some sort of hallucination when he started to lean his head closer.

He was only a good five inches away from my face when reality snapped back in place in my brain. I stumbled backwards out of his grasp and stammered. "I- I need t-to get s-some air." As I rushed towards one of the side doors out of the gym.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I was hyper aware of Bella's hands around my neck. I looked down at her face, the angle of her jaw, the heart-shape of her face, her lips that were coated in some of my sister's lip-gloss, making me want to run my thumb across them to see if they felt as soft as they looked. I saved her eyes for last, knowing that I would get lost in them as soon as I looked. And sure enough I had that same feeling as if she was reeling me in, I was drowning in her eyes. I slowly started to lean forward, close enough to feel her breath fanning my face.

And then just like that, the moment was popped like a soap bubble.

She stumbled backwards, releasing herself and stammered. "I- I need t-to get s-some air." I didn't know what to think as I watched her turn and hightail it out of the gym, out one of the exits.

I ran after her, taking a different door, hoping that I might be able to cut her off.

I ran outside, breathing in the fresh air after having been in that stuffy room for a few hours.

Much to my disappointment there was no one around, no Bella.

"Bella! Bella!" I called walking around, hoping to figure out why she ran off.

"Bell-" My shout was cut off when something heavy came in contact with the back of my head. Making me fall into what seemed to be a never-ending darkness. Bella's name still on my lips.

**(A/N: I was thinking about leaving it there, but how awful would I be, leaving you with a cliff hanger like that. But no worries, I continued. :P )**

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BPOV

I ran out one of the exits, breathing in the fresh air that was rapidly helping my head clear.

I shook out my head, trying to get rid of the questions that constantly came up in my mind.

I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone to check what time it was, hoping that it was an acceptable time for Alice to let me leave.

I unlocked the touch screen and was met with the sight of something other then a digital clock.

I had left the GPS system running on my phone, and as I stood there watching the screen, the three GPS chips were moving at a fast rate away from the Gym.

_This cannot be good._ I thought, immediately making my way towards the direction of the

Microchips.

I really started to get worried when they moved towards one of the parking lots that I knew for a fact that Edward's car was not parked in.

I immediately picked up my pace, cursing Alice under my breath for the shoes, which took me about a second to take off my feet and chuck somewhere behind me, as I now started off at a full sprint towards the indicated parking lot.

The only thing that was going through my mind was that I was thanking god that this dress had a slit in it so that I could run; otherwise it would be ripped very interestingly.

It didn't take me long to get over there at a full sprint, and I just made it out to the parking lot as I saw a large black van start to leave.

Without a second thought I sprinted as fast as I ever had and jumped onto the back, hanging on to the metal bar on top for dear life, just as it pulled out of the lot at close to thirty miles per hour.

I had absolutely no plan as I gripped the bar with a death grip, using one hand to unsheathe the knife from where it was strapped to me leg once we stopped at a stop light.

_This has got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever done in my entire life!_ I cursed myself.

I had to find someway to get inside, I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to hold on, especially if I didn't want anyone to notice. Thankfully the streets were deserted at this hour in such a small town.

I shuffled over as much as I could on the railing and looked for the key hole in the back of the van, once I found it I set to work with my knife, trying to either pick the lock or destroy it, hoping that one of those two options would get me inside.

I jerked the knife back out after hearing the satisfying click, that I had come to know and love when it came to breaking locks.

I had absolutely no idea what I was about to go up against as I wrenched open the door and jumped inside.

I thanked god for the second time that night when I discovered that there was only one guy in the car, minus Edward.

My relief was short lived, when I realized that my entrance did not go unnoticed by the man driving.

I flattened myself in the emptied out back of the van as bullets started sailing my way.

_This is ridiculous! _I thought looking down at the blade in my hand, which seemed pathetic in comparison.

My only advantage was the fact that he had to try to keep driving and shooting at me at the same time.

I army crawled over to Edward who had been thrown in the back like a sack of potatoes, grabbing a' hold of his arm and dragging him down beneath me before he got shot himself.

For a second I thought he might be dead already, until I felt his pulse beating as I bent my head down to avoid another round of bullets. Even though I was in a risky situation, I still couldn't help the blush that came over my face.

I was knocked back into reality when a bullet went through the floor of the car, not three inches from me leg.

"I swear to god, if you damage this dress!" I yelled, I had grown fond of the thing.

"Okay Edward, I think it's time to go." I whispered knowing that he couldn't respond.

I slid open one of the side doors and was extremely happy to see that it was grass on the side, not rocks or trees or something else that could do permanent damage.

I dragged Edward over to my side and shifted my knife to my right hand.

In less then a second I had whipped it towards the driver's seat, though I didn't look to see if it actually made contact. Instead I grabbed Edward and jumped out the side door.

No matter how many jumps I've made like that, they all feel just as crappy; lucky Edward wasn't conscience to feel it.

The familiar _thump_ when your body makes contact with the ground and then the rolling that continues afterwards for a good fifteen feet, going over rocks and twigs and who knows what else.

That's fun stuff.

I kept a firm hold on Edward the entire time, who knows where he might have ended up if I hadn't.

Our bodies finally came to a stop and I groaned at the soreness in all of my muscles.

I shoved Edward's body off of me and checked to make sure that nothing was broken. I got lucky this time, no breaks but I was sure to be black and blue everywhere tomorrow.

I looked down the road, trying to catch a glimpse of the van. Surely if I had hit him then he would have crashed somewhere.

Either way, I didn't want to stick around here. Which, looking around was a pretty good distance away from the school.

I leaned over Edward, who was still unconscious, and found a rather large bump on the back of his head. I winced at the sight. _That must have hurt._

Against my protesting muscles I stood up and tried to pick Edward up. That was a mistake.

I nearly collapsed from the pain in my arms. _Ok so that's obviously not going to work out._

I eventually decided to drag him alongside the road by his arms.

I wasn't going very fast, but at least we were moving.

At one point Edward seemed to come back from his unconscious state and started mumbling stuff.

I couldn't have him waking up and wondering where the heck he was so I did the only thing I could think of.

I made a quick jab to the side of his neck; hitting one of the nerves, making him drop back into unconsciousness immediately.

"Sorry Edward" I said guiltily as I continued to drag him, my arms protesting more and more with each step.

_This must be an interesting sight to see._ I thought as I saw a silver truck coming down the road. I did a double take and nearly jumped for joy.

I flagged down the car, which pulled up on the side of the road.

It was a woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a store uniform of some sort, obviously on her way to work, I assumed the night shift.

"Are you two okay, what happened?" She asked, actually pretty concerned.

"My boyfriend here." I said pointing to the unconscious Edward at my feet, "Got drunk at the dance and ran out here; I chased after him and he passed out on me. Do you thing that you could possibly drop us off at the school?" I asked in my best pleading voice. I smirked inwardly at the thought of Edward getting drunk and passing out.

"Sure, I guess I could do that." She said much to my relief. She got out of her truck and helped me carry Edward into the back seat of her truck.

She looked at his neck and said, "What's that red mark on the side of his neck?"

I looked at what she was referring to and immediately recognized the mark of the jab I used to make him unconscious.

"It's a hickey." I said all seriousness. She seemed to be embarrassed by my response and didn't ask any more questions.

I suppose we did look pretty ummm…suggestive. We probably both had twigs in our hair and dirt on our clothes, and with Edward now having a "hickey" on his neck I'm sure this woman thought we were having sex out there.

We got Edward loaded in safely and I enjoyed the quiet ride back to school.

It only took about five minutes in the car, but it probably would have taken me up to an hour to drag him that same distance.

Once there I thanked the woman many times and she helped me carry Edward over to one of the benches outside of the gym.

I found my cell phone where I had chucked it earlier along with my shoes. I texted Alice, telling her that I found Edward passed out outside, and that he seemed pretty exhausted. I was the same way so I headed home.

I knew this news would make her come outside to check on her brother, so I was positive he would be safe for the rest of the night.

After tonight though, I wasn't so sure about.

**A/N: Okay, so a lot happened in this chapter. I really want to know what you think of it! Please Please Please REVIEW!!!! Oh and I love it when people ask questions about my story, so feel free to leave some.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

EPOV

I woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming in my window right on my face.

With a groan I rolled out of bed, only to fall right back. It felt like I had been run over by a truck.

_What the hell?_

I tried to think back to last night, wondering what could have caused me to be so sore.

But all I could remember was…nothing.

I frowned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, groaning as I stretched my arm.

I took a deep breath and forced myself out of bed, stumbling slightly as I did so. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw that I was still wearing my tux from last night, except I had dirt smeared all over it. And I had a few twigs in my unruly hair.

I swung open my door to find Alice with her hand poised as if she was about to knock.

"Oh good, you're up. I was about to come and get you. It's already twelve o'clock, I thought you were going to sleep all day." She said in a voice way too cheery for my ears. "We should go shopping today. I need to get some more clothes. We really haven't gone shopping in a long ti-"

"Alice! Stop talking for a second." I said cutting her off. "My head is killing me."

"Really? Why?" She asked in a curious and concerned tone.

"I don't know, I'm sore all over. Do you know what happened?" I asked holding my head in my palm, trying to relieve the pounding headache.

Then for some reason she smirked. "Well all I know is that I saw both you and Bella leave the gym. Then about an hour later I get a text from her saying that you were asleep on the table outside. And now you telling me you can't remember what happened. Riiigght." She said using air quotes around the 'can't remember', and stretching out the last word.

"We didn't do anything!" I said giving her a fierce glare.

"Then what's that?" She asked with one eyebrow raised, pointing towards my neck.

"What's what?" I asked back walking back into my room to look in the mirror.

I immediately saw what she was talking about. Among all the bruises and scrapes was a mark that was eerily similar to a hickey.

I put my hand over the mark, trying to see if it wasn't just a scratch.

_I don't __**think**__ we did anything. I would hope I would remember something like that._

I turned around and looked at Alice with an honestly confused expression on my face, honestly not knowing what to say.

She threw up her hands and said, "Fine! If you're not going to tell me, I'll just have to ask Bella." She left my room, only to immediately poke her head back in and say, "But we're still going shopping today." And then leave once again.

_Damn_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I had woken up on Saturday morning sprawled on my bed with my dress and shoes still on.

All my muscles had been sore, but I didn't have nearly as many bruises as I thought I would have. For that I was thankful. Though there was one rather large one on my arm that I think came from hitting a rock.

I probably wasn't nearly as bad as Edward though.

I didn't try to call him, though I did spent a lot more time looking at the GPS on my phone, just to be careful.

I spent the rest of the weekend stretching out my muscles and using one of my special balms that helped to heal bruises.

By Monday morning I was feeling like new again.

I had barely gotten out of my car when I was attacked.

By Alice.

She has been texting me all weekend, trying to find out what happened. I think she believed that something happened between Edward and I. I couldn't blame her for thinking it. There are only so many things that a teenager can do when unsupervised.

I smiled innocently and started walking towards the school.

Alice wasn't having any of that so she immediately ran after me.

"Are you going to tell me what happened after the dance, or not!?!" She said, trying to get me to talk.

"What do you mean? I found Edward asleep on one of the tables and send you a text" I asked, glancing at her.

"So let me get this straight. It took you an **hour** to wander around the school and find my brother lying on the table?" She asked in a 'that is total crap' type of tone.

"Yep." I said, glancing at my watch. I did not want to stay on this topic.

She seemed to sense that she wasn't going to get anywhere with this and gave me a small glare.

"Well, I gotta go to class. I'll see you in PE." I said scurrying off.

"This isn't over!" She yelled when I was roughly a hundred feet away.

I blushed crimson at all the stares I received.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I spent the rest of the day dodging Alice and the next thing I knew I was sitting beside Edward in Biology.

I smiled at him as I took my seat, he gave me a nervous one in return.

_He must have no clue what happened. And god only knows what theories Alice has given him._

"So we're going to tell coach about the whole co-captain thing at practice today, right?" I asked, trying to ease the tension.

He seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking because he smiled and said, "Yeah, sounds like a plan. I'm really excited for our first game of the season tomorrow."

I smiled back but wasn't able to respond on account of the teacher starting his lecture.

Seeing Edward reminded me about what really happened at the dance. That was a close call.

I don't think that the guy driving the car was the actual person out to get Edward; he was probably just hired for the job. I would bet a lot of money that he isn't the only one who was hired though.

One major downside is that now whoever it is that is out to get him, obviously knows that someone is messing with their plans.

I also figured that they have aborted the original plan of just killing Edward, now they probably want him as a hostage, they'll get more money that way.

It made me edgy to know that that is all the information I have. No name. No place. Nothing.

The teacher gave us the few minutes before the bell rang, as free time. Edward took this as an opportunity to talk to me.

"So, Alice says that you're the one who found me after I passed out." He said with a questioning look. I merely nodded in response.

He took that as a sign to keep going, "So do you know what happened, because I can't remember a thing. I just remember running out of the gym after you left and then waking up in my bed the next morning. Alice seems to think we…ummm *cough*…did something…together."

I had to contain the fit of laughter that bubbled up. Instead I said, "No, sorry, I just found you lying there. You probably fell down those stairs near the gym and hit your head."

He seemed to look almost…disappointed. The bell rang and I grabbed my stuff and left, not wanting to answer any more questions.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I was sitting in Biology, waiting for the class to begin, when I heard the chair pull out next to me. I looked up to see none other then Bella, the girl who's been on my mind all day, smile at me.

I sucked in my breath at how beautiful she looked when she smiled and I couldn't help but give her one in return, it was just too hard not to.

I was still thinking about the things that Alice said to me this weekend, wondering if what she suggested was true.

"So we're going to tell coach about the whole co-captain thing at practice today, right?" She said, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. I'm really excited for our first game of the season tomorrow." I replied, my mind going blank when she smiled at me again. She seemed like she was about to say more, but was cut short by the teacher.

I sat through the entire period trying to recall even a single ounce of memory from that short amount of time, but to no avail.

The teacher gave us the few minutes before the bell rang, as free time. I took this as an opportunity to talk to her about it.

"So, Alice says that you're the one who found me after I passed out." I asked, hoping to get some information out of her. She didn't say anything, just nodded, so I kept going.

"So do you know what happened, because I can't remember a thing. I just remember running out of the gym after you left and then waking up in my bed the next morning. Alice seems to think we…ummm *cough*…did something…together." By now my cheeks were probably red, and I gave her a nervous glance.

Instead of getting a laugh in response, she surprised me by saying in a completely serious tone "No, sorry, I just found you lying there. You probably fell down those stairs near the gym and hit your head."

_Well that settles that I guess. _The bell rang and I started putting my stuff away. _I can't believe I even hoped for a second that she would be interested in me that way. I feel like an idiot._

_She's probably right; I probably slipped down the stairs chasing after her._

_Wait, __**stairs**__? There are no stairs near the gym!_

I quickly turned around to tell her this, but she was already gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I wore a changed into a long sleeve shirt and shorts for soccer practice, and ran out onto the field.

Edward was already there, along with about half of the team.

I looked at Edward and pointed towards the coach who was scribbling on his clipboard.

He nodded in understanding and followed me as I made my way over.

Surprisingly, the coach was fine with the fact that the two of us wanted to share the captain spot. He seemed to think that it was a good idea.

Coach ran us pretty hard, and before I remembered why I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, I rolled up my sleeves.

It didn't take long for Edward to notice the large bruise that had started to fade, but was still clearly visible.

His brow crinkled in confusion as a he asked, "Where'd you get that bruise?"

Noticing my mistake, I immediately pulled down my sleeves, hiding the bruise from view.

"I must have fallen." Was my brilliant excuse.

He looked skeptical but seemed to let it go, much to my relief.

We finished up practice and were packing up all the gear when it started to rain.

Thinking about the game tomorrow, I expected everyone to be upset.

Instead, the sudden downpour made everyone, including Edward, smile.

I gave him a questioning look and he simply said, "Mud."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

The next school day went by in a flash, and before I knew it I was walking towards the locker room in my soccer uniform, hearing the "shmuck" sound of my shoe's sticking to the mud with each step.

I was really excited for the game; it's been a while since I've done anything really competitive.

I almost laughed as I opened the door to the boys locker room, I was allowed in there only because that's where coach talks to the players before the game.

Luckily all the guys were already changed and I was the last to arrive.

Coach stood next to a whiteboard with wheels on it, pen in hand. Once he saw me enter, he started talking.

"Alright, this is the first game of the season, as you all should know, this is a big deal. We are playing the Sequoia Bears today, they got second in the league last year." He said, looking everyone in the eye.

"It's up to you guys to knock them out of that position if you want to take it all this year." Without even realizing it, I had begun to set myself into my competitive way of thinking. I usually reserved this only for missions, but to me, this right now felt like a mission.

"Alright, I'm going to head out there and hand it over to you're two captains to tell you what to do." With that said, he tossed the marker to Edward, who caught it easily in one hand.

We both walked up to the front of the group, immediately getting the attention from the rest of the team.

"Alright so, does anyone have any ideas?" Edward started off.

I gave him a disbelieving look and grabbed the pen out of his hand.

"Alright listen up. I'm going to tell you which position your going to go to." I said and began to draw out a field on the whiteboard.

By the time I was finished, the entire board was coated with markings and symbols.

I turned around to find Mike open his mouth to complain. However, he quickly shut it by the look I gave him. "Now I know that these aren't your usual spots, but I've matched up your abilities with a specific position, and I have a feeling it will work out better this way." I said turning back to inspect my work.

"I've placed Edward in center forward, he's going to be in charge of the offense. While, I will playing stopper (center forward defense), I'll keep an eye on the defense. That way, we have both sides of the field covered, and we can adjust as needed." I finished, turning back around to find a stunned audience.

Edward was the first to snap out of it, "Works for me, let's go."

We hustled out onto the field; Edward and I went straight for the center ring. Since we were the captains, we were responsible for representing our team for the coin flip.

The other team's captain's were already there, thought the reff wasn't.

Once they saw me, the other two guys burst out laughing, making me scowl.

"So Edward… are you guys **that** desperate…that your bringing girls onto the team." He said in-between laughs.

I growled and took a step forward, only to be held back by Edward.

"Oooh, feisty are we?" The other one asked with a sadistic smile.

"Shut it, Seth." Edward said, taking the offensive but still not removing his hands from my shoulders.

"Let's save it for the game gentlemen." Said the reff as he walked up. "And lady." He added nodding towards me.

We settled down enough for him to flip the coin, allowing them to start off with the ball in the first half.

Angry, I stomped my way over to my position on the field. I could feel the anticipation and anger running through my veins, looking for an outlet.

I looked over at the sideline, scowling when I saw the other team's captain pointing me out to the rest of his team and then laughing. I glanced at our fans, which was actually quite a large number of people, and noticed that even they seemed a little skeptical about me being on the team.

Edward saw me brooding and jogged over.

"Don't pay any attention to them." He said in a soothing voice, "Besides we'll be the ones laughing when we kick their butts."

I gave a short laugh at his choice of words. I could definitely agree on one thing with him though, there was no way in hell I was going to let them beat me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

The game was going to start soon so I left Bella's side and ran up to my position on the field.

The reff blew the whistle and the other team started off.

My attempt to steal the ball away was easily feuded and their forwards blew right past me.

The ball was no longer in my area to get so I turned around to see what was happening with our defense.

I was worried that Bella wouldn't be able to stop them, but she didn't seem to have any worries at all. She stood in a slight crouch with a look of fierce determination on her face as she watched the three players come at her. It was only when they got to be around twenty feet away that she began to move.

What I saw was incredible. She started sprinting towards the one kicking the ball, all the while yelling out orders for the rest of our defense, telling them to get into the correct position. It looked like she was a general commanding an army.

She looked vicious and deadly, yet at the same time beautiful.

She clashed with the guy who had possession of the ball. It was nearly impossible to see what was happening with all the mud flying everywhere; but in the end Bella was sprinting up the field with the ball in her possession, covered from head to toe in mud.

She didn't seem to be injured at all. In fact, she seemed to be having the time of her life.

I immediately took off running, accepting the pass that she sent towards me from quite a ways away, allowing her to drop back to the defensive side of the field again.

I continued sprinting up the field, dodging those that came my way, even jumping over one player who tried to slide tackle the ball away.

At about fifteen feet away from the goal I kicked the ball with all my might and sent it sailing into the net.

I was rewarded by the sound of the crowd cheering for me. I sprinted back into position and got ready for the next kick-off.

Bella congratulated me on my goal, but I told her that it was only possible because of her defense.

I smiled when she blushed at the compliment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

The game went back and forth for remainder of the time.

The game was tied at the half; I was planning on staying in all four quarters, keeping an eye on the defense. It didn't take long for the other players on my team to figure out that I knew what I was doing and that they should just do what I say. In fact, I think they were a little bit afraid of me.

Edward did exceptionally well at offense. I was itching to get up there with him, but I was afraid that I would get too much into it and my training would kick in and I would hurt someone.

So I figured that it was just better if I stuck to defense. I would be less likely to break someone's arm or kill them from back here.

At half time we got the honor of watching the cheerleaders perform. I cheered for Alice; she was actually pretty good at the flips. And she got to be the one on top of the pyramid because she was so tiny. But watching Tanya and her cronies was a different story. I tried not to gag at the sight of them.

We were still tied when we took the last break, in-between the third and fourth quarters.

My blood was pumping and I could fell the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

I must have been some sight, covered in mud and grass stains.

I noticed as I looked around that I was by far the dirtiest.

_Must have been that slide tackle through the mud-puddle that I did in the second quarter._

Edward didn't seem to mind though because he gave me a big smile, which I couldn't help but return, cracking some of the dried mud on my face.

Our fans no longer seemed to have any more doubts about me. I know for a fact that the other team no longer thought of me as an innocent little girl.

The coach on the other side looked furious as he yelled at his team, continuously pointing at ours.

"Okay, since were ahead, I'm going to have Bella go up front and play offense for this last quarter.

_Uh-oh_

"Uhhh…coach are you sure. I mean, shouldn't we just leave it how it is?" I asked biting my lip.

"No, we're going to try something new." He said with finality

We headed back out onto the field to our assigned positions. This time with me next to Edward on the offensive line.

The other team didn't seem to like having both Edward and me near their goal.

The other team seemed to come up with a new set of plans for the last quarter:

Make sure that Bella can't score any goals

Score a goal for ourselves

I spent the entire time jumping over people slide-tackling towards me, obviously going for my ankle, not the ball.

I had to dodge kicks, shoves and trips. One time one of their players actually managed to trip me, sending me face first into the mud.

_THAT IS IT!!!_

I chased after the ball I had just lost, shoving the player out of the way. I sprinted towards the opposing goal, using twists and turns to avoid contact with their defense.

I put all that adrenaline to good use as I ran my fastest, blowing past everyone.

When I was close enough to the goal, I pulled my foot back and slammed it against the ball, sending it flying past the diving goalie.

The whistle blew, signaling the end of the game. We had one by one point.

The crowd went wild; apparently we didn't win very man games last year.

Edward and another player from our team came and hoisted me up onto their shoulders. I laughed and cheered right along with everyone else.

By the time they let me down and most of the crowd had headed home, the sun was starting to set.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Edward and I were standing in the parking lot, smiling and talking about the game; when someone shoved past me, making me stumble.

Edward caught me and glared at the guy who shoved me, I recognized him as one of the captains of the other team who had insulted me earlier.

"What's your problem Seth?" Edward asked in an aggressive tone, setting me back up on my feet.

"My problem is, that you guys are nothing but a bunch of low-life cheaters." He spat.

Furious, I took a step forward and glared at him while saying, "_We_ cheated!?! You guys were the ones who were trying to break my ankle with your cleats."

He looked at me like I was a piece of gum he found stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

"And I don't even know where to begin with you. You shouldn't even be allowed to play, you stupid bitch." He sneered.

I was about to send my fist flying, but Edward beat me to it.

He brushed past me and swung his fist, hitting Seth in the jaw.

However, he hardly seemed fazed by it and he sent his fist flying right back with tremendous force, hitting Edward in the face, making him stumble and fall backwards.

I winced and knelt next to Edward. "Are you okay?" I asked sincerely.

He nodded, but winced all the same.

"Good, because I'm going to go kick his ass." I said hurriedly standing up.

"No Bella don-" He tried to say, fearing for my safety.

"I'll be right back, I promise." I said cutting him off.

I was touched; no one ever cared about me like that, no matter how pointless it was.

I started running after Seth; "Hey you!" I yelled at his retreating figure.

He turned around and started to laugh.

He was about to open his mouth to make some sort of insulting comment, but I didn't give him the chance.

I tucked my thumb under my fingers and threw my fist forward, hitting him square in the face. I heard the crunch of his nose breaking, causing blood to start pooling out.

"That was for hitting Edward." I said

Then I kicked him where it hurts guys the most, making him double over in pain, still gripping his bleeding nose.

"And that was for calling me a bitch." I said, slightly out of breath.

Satisfied, I ran back to Edward to see find him on his feet again and looking at me in awe.

A large bruise was already forming over his right eye, and I felt a little guilty.

I walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek in thanks.

Then I whispered in his ear. "Thank you for trying to protect me Edward."

He smiled at me as I made my way over to my car. I gave him one in return before hopping in and driving away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I watched Bella drive away out of my left eye; my right eye was too swollen to see out of.

I winced as I gingerly felt it with my fingertips, but then I put my fingertips on the spot where her lips had touched my cheek, and thought:

_Definitely worth it_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Okay, so I got some requests for more soccer; so there you go. I really really really want to reach 500 REVIEWS (at least). I don't care if you leave one word or an entire story; I just want some feedback. Tell you what, if I get enough reviews for this chapter, I might make something good happen in the next one. Let me know what you want to read about in this story, and if I get enough reviews, your ideas might actually appear. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

Wednesday and Thursday rolled by quickly, and before I knew it, I was getting out of my Maserati bright and early Friday morning.

"I am so excited for the weekend!" Alice said, linking her arm with mine.

Her excitement was contagious and I soon found myself smiling along with her.

All of the sudden she seemed to get this crazy twinkle in her eye and she spun me around to face her, making my stumble.

"You should come over to my house for a sleepover tonight!!!!" She said excitedly.

"I don't know Alice." I said unsurely.

"Sure you do! Well watch movies and I can do you makeup and everything, normal sleepover stuff!" She said, now ecstatic.

"I'm not exactly sure what 'normal sleepover stuff' is Alice. I've never been to one." I answered truthfully, suddenly becoming weary.

"Well then, I'm definitely not taking no for an answer." She said starting to walk again, this time towards her own room.

"I'm not sure there was even a question in there!" I yelled to her retreating back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Time flew through the nest three classes and pretty soon I was sitting next to Alice in calculus, doodling on my paper.

We had just come out of P.E. and I was really disappointed with myself. We had run the mile and my time was 6:15, I was definitely getting out of shape. I needed to get back into training, which meant waking up early so I could run.

I felt like my form has been slipping; and with my job, good form is the difference between life and death.

I sighed, bored, and looked at Alice to my right. Her eyebrows were scrunched together in deep concentration and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't laugh at me Bella, just because your going to be the next Einstein doesn't mean I will." She said narrowing her eyes in my direction.

I stopped chuckling but a smile still continued to be prominent on my face.

"How do you finish so fast anyways?" She said in total seriousness.

I shrugged in response and said, "Do you want some help?" I pointed towards her paper with my pencil eraser.

She nodded vigorously.

"Alright well all you have to do is use this equation." I said scribbling on her paper.

"Just plug in different values for the f (x) and you should be able to figure out what the other variable should be. Got it?" I explained further, leaning back into my own seat.

She nodded in a way that made it obvious that she had no clue what I was talking about.

"I'm just going to keep trying." She said, turning back to her own paper.

I sighed, but did not return to my doodling.

Instead, I let my gaze wander around the room.

My eyes subconsciously seemed to land on Edward across the room. His side of the class room had their desks facing the opposite direction, causing him to sit facing me instead of the other way around.

I kept my eyes on his face and watched with curious fascination as his expressions changed.

He was still working on the class work, and seemed to be stuck on one problem.

His eyebrows scrunched together eerily similar to the way Alice's had just moments ago. I assumed that it must be a genetic thing.

However, after a few moments his eyes would light up a bright emerald green, obviously finding the solution to whichever problem he was working on.

I smiled at his change in expression.

"What are you looking at?" Whispered a voice right beside me, making me jump.

Alice followed my gaze and smirked, "Or should I say '_Who_ are you looking at'?"

"Nothing" Is said a little bit too quickly; not fooling Alice for one second.

"Mhhm…suuuure." She said, putting her notebook in her backpack just as the bell rang.

"Come on Alice, we don't want to stay in calculus any longer, now do we?" I said quickly standing up, trying to change the topic. It seemed to work because she smiled and quickly followed me out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I stood in line with my tray, waiting for Alice to fish out the right change to pay for her ham sandwich.

I was right behind her and purchased a salad. We carried our trays over to our usual table and set them down with a _'clank'_.

The overhead speaker buzzed and the voice of the peppy vice principal came on the loud speaker.

'_Attention students, as you well know today sixth period will we canceled for a mandatory assembly. I'm sure your all excited for the…" _

I zoned out after hearing that I wouldn't have to sit through biology for an hour today. I smiled and bit into my salad; happy for any excuse to miss studying a subject I've already taken.

Alice seemed really excited about missing class too, because she jumped out of her seat and ran over to a very crowded table.

_Whatever_

I assumed that Jasper was over there, but I was too caught up in my own happiness to care. I stole her apple off her tray and took a bite.

Alice came back a few minutes later and I gave her a guilty look for stealing her fruit.

She either didn't notice that I stole it or didn't seem to care because she sat back in her seat with a satisfied smile on her face.

I glanced around at our empty table and asked, "Where's Edwa- I mean everyone?"

"Well, Jasper is in the gym helping set up for the assembly, Rosalie and Emmett are over there." She said, pointing to the table she had just visited. "And I think Edward's in the music room. He's been hanging out in there a lot more often then usual." She said glancing at me to see if I had any reaction.

I gave her an indifferent look and continued munching on her apple.

Too soon for my liking, the bell rang, officially ending lunch.

"So, why don't I meet you outside the music room, we can walk over to the assembly together." She said, throwing away her tray.

"Sure." I replied, not really caring about the matter.

She seemed to smile brighter at this for some reason, like I just made her day. This made me a little suspicious.

"Why are you so excited about this stupid assembly?" I asked giving her a sidelong glance.

"No reason." She said as she literally skipped away from me and into her next class.

_Note to self: Watch out for evil pixie (a.k.a. Alice)_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I had just turned off my ipod when the bell rang, signaling the end of fifth period.

I slung my bag over my right shoulder and opened the door out into the hallway.

It only took Alice about thirty seconds for her to come by and start dragging me in the direction of the gym.

"Come on Bella! We've got to hurry up!" She said tugging my arm harder and breaking into a jog.

If she saw the confused glance I threw at her, she clearly ignored it.

Nevertheless I kept pace with her, not wanting to face the wrath of Alice.

Instead of going towards the front entrance along with everyone else she dragged me to the back door and pulled me in after her towards bcakstage.

"Alice what are you-" I started but she cut me off.

"Rosalie! We need to borrow your eyeliner! Quick!" She said yelling across what I now realized was back stage.

I was really confused now; glancing around I realized that there were at least a dozen girls back here.

Tanya, Jessica, Lauren and Rosalie were the only ones I recognized but they were all touching up there makeup.

"Here you go Alice." Rosalie said, tossing the eyeliner before going right back to applying more lip-gloss to her bottom lip.

Alice caught the small tube in her hands and turned back to me.

"Hold still Bella, I think this is all we should need," She said, holding my chin in one hand and applying the eyeliner with the other. I knew that struggling would most likely cause me to lose an eye so I reluctantly held still "You're already wearing enough lip-gloss and your cheeks have their own natural blush to them. Though if we had more time we could probably do something with your hair, but we'll have to leave it. Maybe I can find a-"

"ALICE!" I said, causing her to finally stop talking, "What on earth are you talking about!?! What's with all the makeup? Why aren't we-"

_Welcome to the annual Forks High fundraiser! _Came a voice from the other side of the curtain.

_I'm sure you guys are all very excited about this years auction, we have twelve lovely ladies this year. The rules are the same as last year; the boy with the highest bid will get to go on one date with the girl being auctioned off!!! _

I felt my blood turn cold and all the color drain from my face.

I turned to look at Alice, "You didn't." I said both in an unbelieving and menacing tone.

"I did." She said cringing at my expression.

I looked at her in horror, no words coming out of my mouth.

"It'll be fun Bella! Both Rosalie and I are doing it! It's raising money for the school!" She seemed to be fishing for a reason that would convince me that she did this for a good reason.

"Alice I can't believe you did that!" I said, finally breaking. I scarcely heard numbers being shouted out on the other side of the curtain as the first girls got bid off.

She cringed at my outburst and said, "But think about it! You'll get to go on a free date with someone! It'll be fun!"

"No Alice, there is no way in HELL that I am going out there to be auctioned off like a piece of antique furniture!" I said, letting my temper slip a little bit.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice now, because it's your turn." She said, shoving me out through the gap in the curtain, making me stumble.

I was about to shout some sort of insult back when I noticed that I was in front of practically the entire student body. (Which isn't actually that many people)

I blushed profusely and swallowed hard.

"Alright, well, let's start the bidding at thirty dollars." Said the woman at the podium

Immediately two dozen hands went up. I gulped loudly and grimaced at the sight.

_Note to self: Kill Alice_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I opened the door to Biology and stopped at the sight of the empty classroom.

I gave the teacher a confused look and he said, "The assembly, Mr. Cullen"

I got the feeling that he didn't like having his class canceled.

I immediately turned around and started walking down the now empty hallway. In no time I was slipping inside the door to the gym.

Today was the assembly for the annual girl auction, my sister and Rosalie were always part of it, but Jasper and Emmett were always the ones who bid on them.

It was fairly crowded this year so I was only able to stand in the far back because of my lateness.

A few girls had already been auctioned off in my absence and I noticed that a very happy Eric was standing next to a very unhappy Tanya. I snickered.

She noticed me looking and sent me a icy glare.

I returned my attention back to the stage and watched as Jessica and Lauren both got auctioned off for a little over a hundred bucks.

There was a slight pause on stage as everyone waited for the next girl to walk on stage.

"-auctioned off like a piece of antique furniture!" came a voice from behind the curtain.

_It couldn't be_

Sure enough, Bella, in all her glory, stumbled onto the stage from behind the curtain.

She quickly caught herself before she went head first off the stage.

Even from where I was standing I could see the blush that covered her cheeks as she took in the crowd.

My eyes widened at the breathless expression she had on her face. She had obviously been arguing with someone backstage and the disagreement had obviously gotten a little heated.

Her face was more flushed then usual and some of her hair was loose form the bun she had put it in. She had never looked more breathtaking to me then at that moment. She was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. I noticed the hungry looks on the other guys faces and growled.

_Mine_

That was the only thought that went through my head.

"Alright, well, let's start the bidding at thirty dollars." Said the woman at the podium.

My internal claim seemed to waver by the amount of hands and shouts that erupted for the first bid.

I instantly took my backpack off my back and desperately started searching through it for my wallet.

"Fifty!" Came a voice to my right.

"Seventy five!" Said another.

At this point I had my bag turned upside down and was dumping everything out onto the gym floor.

I saw my wallet dump into the pile and I pounced on it.

"One hundred!" came from a smaller boy with glasses.

The numbers rose higher and higher all around me as I shuffled through my small bundle of cash.

The amount of cash I had in my hand was not amounting up to the amount that was being bid. Already the number was at three hundred as the more serious bidders battled it out between one another.

I panicked, fumbling around for more cash.

There seemed to be only two guys left now.

"Three hundred and fifty!" came one side of the room

" Four hundred!" Came the other.

Alarmed, I was starting to lose hope.

"Five hundred!" came the first voice.

There was no response from the other side.

"Five hundred going once." Said the vice principal.

_Credit card._

"Going twice." She said in what seemed like slow motion

_CREDIT CARD!_

I rapidly whipped out my credit card.

"Going three times. And g-"

"ONE THOUSAND!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, breathing heavily now.

Silence

The woman at the podium seemed flustered, I had obviously broken the school record by far.

"One thousand going once, Going twice. Going three times. Gone, to the young gentleman in the back." She said.

I probably had the most idiotic smile on my face as I started making my way towards the stage.

I looked up at the stage and watched multiple expressions cross over Bella's face: Shock, relief, worry, astonishment.

I ignored all the whispers that came out of other people's mouths and I paid no attention to Tanya who was furiously trying to insult me.

I didn't care; I had a date with Bella Swan tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

"ONE THOUSAND!!!!" Came a voice from the far back.

My eyes bulged at the amount. I was already blushing profusely, by now I was probably a shade similar to a tomato.

No one countered this last guy's outburst.

I was biting my lip nervously, waiting to see whom I was doomed to spend my Friday evening with.

I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my mouth when none other then Edward came forward with his hand holding his credit card held high.

I wasn't sure what to think at the moment.

I was somewhere in-between: shocked that he would actually bid on me, worried that it was in fact him that I was going on a date with, relieved that it wasn't someone else, and slightly excited.

My first thought was that he had placed a bid out of pity so that I wouldn't have to go with one of those other guys. But that thought was quickly dashed when I saw the giant smile he had on his face as he approached the stage.

I bit my lip nervously once again as I hopped of the stage so that the next girl could come on.

I headed over to one of the sidewalls and leaned against it, not knowing what to think at the moment.

Alice was being auctioned off next, but was soon taken by Jasper. I was still angry with her for signing me up for this.

By now Edward had joined me on the side and leaned on the wall next to me, suddenly seeming shy.

"I'm going to kill Alice." I muttered to myself.

"Why?" Asked Edward, following my gaze as I watched Alice head off the stage with Jasper firmly in tow.

"She's the one who signed me up for this stupid thing in the first place." I said through gritted teeth.

My comment put an upset look on his face and I immediately felt bad.

"I mean, I still really want to go on the date with you. It's just that it would have been nice if she had asked me in the first place." I said quickly, trying to reassure him.

It worked because I got a large smile in return. "So what time should I pick you up tonight?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, actually your sister invited me over for a sleepover, so I figure that maybe I should just drive over to your place around seven-ish and then we can just leave from there." I replied feeling nervous and excited at the same time.

I turned to look at him and was immediately caught up in the intense happiness that was prominent in his eyes. "Sounds good." He replied, trying to act nonchalantly.

His eyes flickered to something past my shoulder and leaned in and whispered, "I'll see you tonight." He tucked one of the loose strands of hair behind my ear before turning and heading out of the gym.

My heart was beating like I had just run a fifty-yard dash.

Alice came up behind me, knocking me from my reverie.

"I told you Bella! I know you'll have a great time tonight. And then afterwards you'll come over and we can talk about it! I knew he was going to bid high, but damn, even  
I didn't think he was going to go to a thousand!" She said practically jumping up and down.

"Wait, you knew that he was going to bid on me?" I asked incredulously.

"Of course I did, he was too nervous to ask you out face to face; but I knew he couldn't resist if there was a chance of you going with someone else." Alice said

I was more confused by what she said then I thought I should have been.

"Just make sure that you wear the pink skirt with the pink and white top you got when we went shopping, okay?" She said as we walked out of the building.

I nodded, still thinking over everything she said as I hopped into my Maserati and made my way home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I fiddled with the buttons on my button up green shirt as I glanced at the clock.

_6:58_

Alice recommended the shirt, saying that it brought out my eyes. I trusted her fashion sense enough to believe that she knows what she's talking about.

I was extremely nervous about tonight. I had been on tons of other dates before, but none had mattered more then this one.

I had to make sure that I didn't blow it tonight. I was ashamed of how I had acted towards Bella and girls in general a while back. I would make clear to Bella that I was no longer that person anymore.

_Ding-dong_

My mind froze in panic.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, and then opened the door.

My mind went blank at the sight of Bella. She was wearing a simple pink skirt that flowed to about her knees and a white and pink striped polo.

She smiled nervously and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Why don't you put you bag inside and then we'll head out." I suggested.

She nodded in response and walked past me to set her overnight bag in the hallway.

I found it kind of ironic that she was staying the night right after going on a date with me.

That last thought put another smile on my face as I led the way to my car. I still couldn't believe how lucky I was to be going on a date with her.

I rushed over to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She blushed my favorite shade of red and uttered as small 'thank you', before slipping inside.

I wasn't used to Bella being shy or intimidated. She was very difficult to read, and I had no idea how she felt about actually going on a date with me. Even if it wasn't really her decision.

The ride there was quiet; I turned on some music to try to make it less uncomfortable.

The sweet melody of 'Claire de Lune' floated out of my speakers.

"You listen to Debussy?" Bella asked turning her head to look at me.

I was surprised that she knew it, not many people did, "Yeah, do you not like it?"

"No, I do! It's just that you continue to surprise me." She said with a small smile.

"Hardly, you are the most mysterious person I have ever met, Bella." I said truthfully; she just blushed and turned away.

It was only when we got to Port Angeles that she questioned where we were going.

"A small Italian restaurant that I go to all the time." I said, she seemed content by this and fell silent again.

Upon arriving, I opened her door for her and led her into the restaurant, keeping my hand on the small of her back. She seemed to shiver at the contact.

We were led to a small table in back and handed our menus.

I thanked the waitress and looked over at Bella.

She seemed to be studying her menu very intently.

"Bella." I said, causing her to look up from her menu. "Is something wrong?" I asked concerned.

"No, why? She said quietly.

"Your not acting like your usual yourself." I said

"Alright then." She said folding her menu up and placing it on the table, looking me directly in the eye. "Why did you do it?" She asked

"Do what?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Why did you bid a thousand dollars to go on a date with me?" She said completely straightforward.

I took a deep breath and put my own menu down.

"Because…I didn't want anyone else taking you on a date." I said looking into her deep brown eyes.

"Why not?" She asked

"Because, I wanted to take you on a date." I answered, feeling shy for one of the first times in my life.

"Why didn't you just ask me?" She said catching my eyes in hers once again.

"I guess I was afraid you'd say no." I said bashfully.

"You, Edward Cullen, the king of the school, was afraid of getting rejected by me." She said disbelieving.

When I nodded she continued, "So let me get this straight, you spent a thousand dollars to go on a date with me, plain old Bella, when you could've gone up to any girl and they would have willingly gone anywhere with you."

I nodded again.

"That is the most insane thing I have ever heard." She said with a smile.

"Okay, first of all to clear up a few things, you are not plain; very far from it. And second of all, you are very different from all the other people I've met." I said, glad to see her smiling a little bit.

She scoffed in response. "Okay, we'll have to work on that. Change of topic, would you have said yes if I had asked you?" I asked

She seemed to think about it for a few seconds, my heart was thudding loudly in my chest.

"Yeah, I probably would." She said, making a smile break out on my face.

"So does that mean I can ask you out on a second one?" I asked still smiling.

"Well, I don't know Edward, we'll have to see how the first one goes." She responded with a smirk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Throughout dinner we played twenty questions.

"Favorite color?" She asked, twirling some spaghetti on her fork

"Green, yours?"

"Blue." She said

"How many boyfriends have you had previously?" I asked jumping to a larger question. I really was curious.

"None." She responded much to my surprise "How about you?" She asked already seeming to know that it was going to be a lot.

"Well, I've been on a lot of dates, but I don't think I've had many girlfriends." I said, thinking about whether I would consider Tanya a girlfriend. Probably not.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I began to become more comfortable as the date progressed.

Edward and I had a lot in common; we enjoyed the same type of music, books, TV shows, etc.

I lost the nervousness that I experienced earlier and it didn't take long for me to get lost in his eyes or his voice.

Earlier, when he had asked me about whether I would have rejected him or not; I really didn't have to think about it.

It was obvious to me now.

I was deeply attracted to Edward Cullen. And apparently everyone else seemed to think he was interested in me.

I had spent some time thinking over what it would mean for my mission if I were to date him. I could find no negatives.

It would allow me to be closer to him and give me an excuse to be in places like his house.

This was what I told myself. I think my subconscious had an ulterior motive.

I decided that I would allow this to proceed cautiously. I was sailing in uncharted water; I had never dated anyone before. It might take some getting used to.

We finished our dinners and he took care of the bill, much to my protest.

We headed out of the restaurant and I shivered as the cold air hit my arms, making goosebumps rise up.

"Here." He said taking off his jacket and placing it on my shoulders.

Ordinarily I would have objected. But it was a really warm jacket, and my arms were freezing.

It had his scent on it and I sighed as I breathed it in.

I thanked him for his jacket as he opened my side door.

"You are more then welcome." He said, tucking a loose hair behind my ear.

I shivered, but this time I don't think it was from the cold.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The drive back felt shorter then the drive there, but it might have been because that awkward presence was no longer there.

The entire ride I would snuggle deeper into his jacket whenever I thought he wasn't looking, but I think I noticed him smile a few times.

We pulled into his long driveway and he put the car in park.

Before I could even get my seatbelt undone, he was on my side opening the door.

I blushed and said, "You don't have to do that, I'm perfectly capable of opening my own door."

"But I want to." He said leading me towards the front door.

_Well, can't argue with that logic_

"I had a lot of fun tonight Edward, thanks." I said once we got to the front porch, neither of us wanting to go in

He nodded and smiled in response.

I started to take off his jacket that still rested on my shoulders.

"It's okay, you can keep it." He said with a smile, "It looks better on you anyways."

I looked down at my shoes and blushed at the compliment no matter how absurd it sounded.

I looked up when I felt his fingertips on my cheek.

He had the most intense look in his eyes, making me unable to look away.

He slowly leaned in, almost as if he was afraid I was going to run away.

And then he kissed me.

His lips lightly brushed against mine, but there was still that now familiar electric shock that coursed through my body, igniting it. His lips were like silk, tracing mine.

My arms were itching to wrap themselves around his neck, to deepen the kiss.

He pulled away to soon for my liking, "Chances are, Alice heard us pull up and she's going to be out here any second." he said quietly leaning his forehead against mine.

I wasn't sure that I was able to speak so I simply nodded and pulled away from his embrace, immediately missing the contact.

He obviously missed it too, because he gave me a chaste kiss on the lips then pulled away, just as the door swung open.

"Okay, your time's up Edward, come on Bella." Alice said dragging me inside.

"Your date may be done, but the night it far from being over." She said with a wicked glint in her eye.

I probably would have been terrified if I didn't have the comfort of Edward's jacket and the recollection of what just happened on his front porch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Alright so, I just want to thank all of you who leave reviews for this story. It really means a lot to me, especially when you leave more then one. But for those of you that read this story and DON'T leave review: reading a story and not reviewing is like going to a restaurant, eating the food that they've spent a long time cooking, then leaving without paying. It really does take me a long time to write these chapters. **

**I have decided that for every REVIEW I get this chapter, I will send you a response!!!! I'm not kidding, I will respond to each and every one. **

**More Reviews=Faster Update!!! And trust me, your going to want me to update quickly, the next chapter is going to be good.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

Alice dragged me up the stairs and into her room, not even stopping once.

Once inside she shoved me into the fluffy pink beanbag that was in the corner.

"Okay, spill." She said, cutting straight to the point.

"Spill what?" I asked innocently, trying to hold the topic off for as long as possible.

She sent me a glare that obviously stated that I wasn't getting out of this conversation.

"Alright, well he took me to Port Angeles for dinner. It was a nice small Italian place, it was really good food." I said, starting what I was sure was going to be a long story.

"I don't care about what you ate, tell me what you did!" She said, letting some of her excitement seep through.

I sniggered at her impatience. "Well…we talked for a long time; just trying to find things out about one another. He paid for dinner, much to my annoyance. And them he drove me back here and umm…well…" I faltered.

"Annndddd…?" She said, leaning in towards me.

"Well…he…ummm…sort of…kissed me." I ended lamely.

I should have expected her reaction. She squealed in joy and jumped up, grinning madly.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" She chanted happily, practically dancing around the room now.

I removed my hands from where they were covering my ears, happy that she had dropped her voice to a volume I could tolerate.

I chuckled at her insanity and shook my head sadly.

She flopped down with a sigh on her bed, "Finally, god I thought it was going take forever for him to make a move."

This confused me, "What do you mean?" I asked

"Well come on, he's been all googley-eyed towards you for forever now." She said rolling her eyes.

"But, we can talk more about it later! I'm going to give you a tour of the house!" She said jumping up and grabbing my hand once more.

"By the way." She said, glancing back at me with a knowing smirk, "Nice jacket."

I blushed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"This is the kitchen. This is our dining room." She said, leading me through the insanely large house.

I found this entire thing ironic because I already knew her house probably better then she did. I recalled the time when I snuck in here, trying to gather information for my assignment.

Edward had almost caught me when I was forced to hide in his closet. That was a close call; something I'm not too fond of.

"Here is one of our spare bedrooms." She continued gesturing with her hand and continued walking. I nodded in all the right places and gave the appropriate smiles and looks of wonder as I looked upon the house that I had the blueprints for back in my room at home.

We headed back up the stairs and walked down the narrow hallway.

"That one's Edward's room." She said jerking her thumb towards the closed door on the right. You could hear the muffled base line of music coming through it.

I couldn't help but let my mind drift back to our date. A strange giddiness that was previously unknown came over me.

I subconsciously pulled his jacket tighter around my shoulders and breathed in its scent.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Alice, what's your dad like?" I asked nonchalantly while we sat in her room watching a movie.

She put down her grape soda and gave me a funny look but said, "Like normal dads I suppose. He owns a company that makes medical equipment. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. He must get a lot of business, your house is amazing." I said

She smiled at the compliment and said, "Yeah, but we hardly see him because of it. Edward has taken it kind of hard." She now had a small sad smile on her face; I regretted bringing up the touchy subject.

I didn't ask her anymore questions, afraid that I would cross some unknown line.

Tonight was the perfect opportunity. I was inside their house (This time with permission),

I was going to try and find as much information as possible. I had way too many questions and few too many answers.

What is the reason behind it all?

Why do they only go after Edward, instead of Alice?

Did Mr. Cullen know anything about it?

And most importantly

Who was behind it?

I chewed my lip in frustration, staring at the TV screen without really seeing it.

I had been thinking over these things for a while and was brought out my reverie when Alice started talking to me.

"What are you thinking so hard about Bella?" She asked with a smirk, "It wouldn't happen to be Edward would it?"

_Well, now I am._

Ever since I had been dragged away from Edward, my mind would subconsciously slip back to that moment.

I sighed out loud.

Alice smirked again, but then her face became almost nervous, "Just make sure you're careful Bella." She said

At my confused glance she elaborated.

"You know how much of a womanizer Edward used to be. He's changed because of you, and I don't want him to go back to his old ways. I don't want either of you guys getting hurt." She said looking me in the eye.

I nodded in understanding and tried to focus on the movie.

_What if this was all just a ploy? _This thought dampened my spirits dramatically

_I mean, this could all just be some trick of his; being nice until I let my guard down._

A lifetime of hurting made me cautious this way. I would rather do my job while being his friend then one of his conquests.

Thoughts of this same nature kept rising up in my mind for the next few hours, troubling me. I was not the kind of person that liked to be taken advantage of.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was around 1:30 in the morning when I felt my cell phone buzz in my pocket.

There was only one person that would call me at this hour of the night.

Aro.

I sighed and flipped my phone open, first glancing over to make sure that Alice was out cold.

"Hello Aro."

"Agent Swan. I'm calling for an update on your mission." He said, getting to the point.

I sighed again and relayed what had transpired during my stay in Forks.

I had no choice but to give him every single detail; knowing that in the end he would know anyways, he had his ways of getting that kind of information.

He paused after I finished, thinking over everything I said.

"I'm disappointed in the amount of information you've been able to uncover. And it seems as if you've had quite a few close calls. You need to get closer to him; otherwise the next time they try to snag him, you might be too late." He said gravely, and then hung up without a goodbye.

I sat there thinking over everything he said.

I wasn't too proud of myself for the very little amount I had accomplished so far on this mission.

I kept that thought in mind as I got out of bed, glancing over to make sure that Alice was still asleep.

I pushed away all thoughts except for the mission at hand, letting the part of me that was Agent Swan take over, replacing the innocent looking Bella.

I put my ear to the door, after making sure that I heard nothing, I slipped out into the hallway.

It felt good to be doing something that was familiar to me.

Moonlight was streaming in through the windows, illuminating the hallway. I made sure to stick to the shadows, moving in silence.

I reached the end of the hall, Mr. Cullen's office.

The last time I had been here, I hadn't had as much time. Who knew, maybe there was more information that hadn't been there previously.

My eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to see the lock on the door.

I fished out my lock pick and set to work. In no time flat I heard the satisfying 'click' and slipped inside.

I went straight for the computer.

I plugged in a flashdrive that contained my own hacking program that I used to break passwords.

It did its thing and I was soon looking through what looked like building plans for, what seemed to be, a state of the art MRI machine.

There were other projects, but that one seemed like the most expensive.

I scrolled down and speed read through the messages on the bottom.

There were dimensions for the MRI and other formulas that even seemed complex to me.

There was an estimated price on the bottom and I whistled quietly at the amount.

_That's a lot of zeros_

My eyes skimmed over the rest, my eyes froze when they landed on a couple of names.

'Cullen Enterprises

And

Black Corporation'

_Well, it's a start._

I typed the identification data for the MRI into my phone.

I didn't want to linger any longer then necessary.

I shut down his computer and removed any traces of my presence, backtracking to make sure that every single specific detail was in place.

Satisfied, I slipped back out the door silently.

I was making my way down the hallway, back towards Alice's room, when I heard a door creak open.

I jumped and whipped around, immediately bringing my body into a fighting position.

It was pure instinct and habit, and I instantly realized it, and instead stepped back into the shadows of the hallway.

I watched silently as Edward stepped out of his room, sleepy eyed and yawning.

The thoughts I had after Alice told me to be careful, came crashing back to me.

I shook my head to try and get rid of the offensive set of mind that was so natural for Agent Swan, but not so much for Bella.

I was starting to feel like two different people.

Edward starting walking in my direction.

Realizing that a normal person would not ordinarily be hiding in the shadows absolutely silent, I stepped out into the moonlight and had to purposefully make some noise with my feet.

I figured it would be better if I allowed him to see me on my own account, rather then to have him discover me watching him from the shadows; which, now that I think about it, is kind of creepy.

He didn't seem to see me, or he was sleepwalking, so I cleared my throat.

He finally noticed my presence and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Jesus Bella! You nearly scared me to death!" He said in a hushed voice.

_Imagine that_

He was now breathing heavier and had his hand over his chest, trying to calm himself down.

_Well, if he was sleepy before, he sure as heck isn't now._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

My heart rate was slowly starting to slow down.

"What are you doing up right now?" I asked, more then surprised to run into her.

"I had to go to the bathroom." She answered simply.

I nodded, not sure how to respond.

I let my gaze wander over her, captivated.

The moonlight coming through the window illuminated her in the most beautiful way.

Instantly my thoughts returned to the moment right before Alice had pulled her inside the house.

I had wanted to kiss her since the first moment I saw her. Her lips had been silky smooth, and just that thought sent a pleasant tingle down my spine.

Even now, my eyes rested on her lips, wanting to repeat the moment.

I was brought out of my fantasy by her voice speaking.

"So Edward…I wanted to talk to you about last night." She said in a determined voice.

Her words immediately put me on edge.

"It's just that…I don't know if you're just playing with me, and that in the end I'm just going to be one of your conquests." She said firmly, looking me in the eye.

I was overcome with self loathing. I truly began to hate what I was before I met Bella.

I wanted to leave that part of me in the past; bury it so deep that Bella would never have to feel like she felt right now.

I felt horrible, but also determined. I **had** to make her believe me.

I stepped closer to her; close enough that, if I wanted to, I could lean in slightly and kiss her.

"You have to believe me when I say, that you mean much more to me then any other girl ever did. And I will spend as long as it takes trying to prove it to you." I said genuinely.

I leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head. I opted for kissing her cheek instead, happy that she would at least allow me that courtesy.

"We'll see." She said quietly before turning around and heading back into Alice's room.

I could only stare after her with longing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I woke up at 5:30, yawning profusely.

I was still sleepy. I only got about three of four hours of sleep last night.

Nevertheless, I had promised myself that I was going to get back into my exercise routine. And there were some great running trails through the forest behind their house.

I changed into shorts and a long-sleeved shirt and grabbed my ipod.

I left Alice a note, just in case she woke up while I was gone. Which, glancing at her snoring form, wasn't likely.

Running helped me clear my head, so I was actually relieved to be going this morning.

I quietly slipped down the stairs, careful as to not wake anyone up, and headed into the kitchen where I could slip out the back door.

I stopped short when I spotted Edward.

He seemed just as surprised to see me up at this hour.

I paused awkwardly in the doorway, not quite sure what to say.

"Are you going for a run?" He asked, indicating with his hands towards my ipod and running shoes.

"Yeah, I like to run in the mornings." I said.

"I prefer the gym, but I understand where you're coming from." He said with a grim, trying to ease the tension.

It worked because I found my mouth forming into a smile in response.

It was then that I noticed that he also was dressed for a workout. Clad in soccer shorts and a form fitting t-shirt.

"Could I join you on your run?" He asked with a dazzling smile.

I already knew that there was no way I could speak, let alone refuse, when he smiled at me like that, so I just nodded.

His entire face lit up and he opened the back door while saying, "Ladies first."

I rolled my eyes at his mock chivalry but smiled all the same.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I couldn't keep the smile off my face no matter how hard I tried (Which wasn't really very hard)

Instead of placing her headphones in her ears, she stowed it away in her pocket; I hoped this meant that she wanted to talk to me on our run.

I was about to ask her which trail she wanted to go on, when she surprised me by smirking and sprinting towards the forest.

"Are you coming or what!?!" She yelled over her shoulder, laughing.

I was momentarily stunned, but shook my head with a smile and took off after her.

I caught up to her soon after we entered the cover of the trees.

"Here, follow me. I know a good trail." I said veering to the right, I glanced back to see her shrug and follow me.

We had been running at a comfortable pace, side by side, for a while when I felt a raindrop hit my nose.

"It looks like it's going to rain pretty hard soon; do you want to head back?" I asked, the sky rumbled with thunder just to prove my point.

"Are you kidding? Running in the rain is the best!" She said, tilting her head to the sky.

She continued to surprise me.

It was starting to rain harder now, and the sky was illuminated with bright streaks of lightning.

I had to watch out, if I stared at Bella long enough, I was very likely to run into a tree.

Bella had a huge grin plastered on her face; she looked at me with an evil glint in her eye and said, "Race ya!" Before she increased her already impressive speed.

I laughed and took off after her.

This was one side of Bella that I didn't get to see very often.

Her face was completely lit up in a magnificent smile, and the constant downpour was making her clothes and hair stick to her body.

I was starting to recognize where we were.

Pretty soon the trail would bend to the left and circle back around. I had been down this way more times this way I could remember.

I eventually caught up to her, still impressed beyond words at how athletic she was.

I noticed the familiar land marks and yelled, "Follow me!" over the noise of the rain.

Both curious and cautious expressions crossed her face, but curious must have won because she followed me off the trail.

In this little exchange, I had pulled ahead of her. She didn't seem to like that very much because she quickly lengthened her strides and overcame me, smirking as she passed.

I gave her a crooked grin and pushed myself harder.

We stayed fairly even, jumping over rocks, fallen logs and other hazards. It was miraculous that we hadn't fallen yet.

I saw our destination in the distance: my meadow.

Now that I was sure that we were heading in the right direction, I lengthened my stride and ran faster then I ever had.

I figured that Bella wasn't going to let me win that easily. And I was right; now we were full out sprinting, my legs were protesting with the effort.

We burst into the meadow at the exact same time.

However, Bella must not have been expecting the sudden lack of trees and other obstacles because she faltered forward, grabbing onto my arm as she fell forward.

Neither of us were able to catch our footing and I ended up being pulled down with her and toppling on top of her.

I looked down at her below me, and felt my mouth go dry.

Her hair was fanned out on both sides of her face, and a few individual pieces were sticking to her face from the continuous assault of rain. Her chest was heaving from the strenuous run, and her face was flushed; I was positive that mine must have looked the same.

Rain drops were glistening on her face and eyelashes; I gazed into her eyes, completely captivated.

Upon their own accord, my fingers brushed across her cheeks, pushing back the strands that were sticking there from the rain.

I couldn't hold out any longer; I leaned in and connected my lips with hers, kissing her with as much passion as I could muster.

I felt her sigh into my mouth, making a shiver run through me.

Our lips moved in perfect synchronization, molding themselves together.

I felt her fingers snake their way through my hair.

Then she did the thing that I least expected, she rolled us over so that she was lying on top of me, and my back was pressed into the grass.

I felt her smirk against my lips.

_Well, two can play at that game_

I flipped us back over, gaining a gasp from her.

Too soon for my liking I had to come up for air.

We were both panting just as hard as when we were running. Except now we were coated in mud from rolling around on the ground.

"I definitely kicked your ass in that last sprint back there." She said, earning a chuckle from me.

"Yeah, you definitely did." I replied giving her a smile as rain still continued to pour all around us.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Thanks again to you guys that leave me REVIEWS for each chapter, it makes me smile whenever I get a REVIEW. **

**But, for those of you who simply read this story and leave nothing, you're not fooling ANYONE. I can literally see that thousands of you guys read this story whenever I post a new chapter, yet I only receive about fifty REVIEWS. Am I the only one that thinks that something doesn't add up there?**

**Oh! And another thing! I got a lot more REVIEWS when I said I would reply, so I'm going to do that again. Like I stated in the lat chapter, I WILL RESPOND TO EVERY SINGLE REVIEW!!!! (Unless of course you specifically tell me not to). **

**Remember: MORE REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATE (it's really simple math you guys)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

It didn't take long for the rain to stop.

I was lying on my back next to Edward, watching the sunlight stream in through the trees and illuminate everything in its path.

The droplets of rain that were sticking to the grass and trees were sparkling brightly, giving the meadow an almost imaginary feeling to it.

Neither of us were speaking but the quiet was anything but awkward.

I let out a happy sigh, here I felt completely blissful, like nothing could touch me.

I felt Edward's hand lightly take hold of mine, and all thoughts of my mission and how my life really was floated away.

I closed my eyes and let the part of me that was Agent Swan slide into my subconscious for the moment.

I could never remember being this happy ever before in my life. I had always felt that the people that had happiness took if for granted, and didn't deserve it. That's why I always used to scorn happiness, but now I think I'm beginning to understand.

"Bella" Whispered a voice near my ear.

I sleepily opened my eyes and found Edward closer then before, hovering over me, his eyes bright.

"hmmm?" was my sleepy reply. I think I was getting drunk from this new feeling.

"What are you thinking about?" He whispered, giving me my favorite smile.

"Nothing." I replied quietly, reverting back to my old instinct of hiding.

He gave me a small smile.

Instead of pushing the question like I expected, he leaned down and gave me a light kiss on the lips.

I still wasn't used to the almost electric shock that would go through my body whenever we made contact; and I don't think I ever will.

"What was that for?" I inquired.

"I couldn't resist." Was his reply, along with a small crooked smile.

I couldn't stop the blush that covered my cheeks, and the smile that formed on my own lips.

"So what did you want to do today?" He asked, propping himself up on one elbow and playing with a strand of my hair.

"I don't know, did you have anything in mind?" I asked coyly, opening one eye to glance at him.

"A few things." He responded, not giving anything away.

We fell silent again for an immeasurable amount of time.

The silence was broken by Edward sighing and saying, "We should probably head back; Alice is up by now for sure."

That one statement brought everything rushing back. Alice. My mission. Agent Swan. Everything.

The amount of sadness that came up from having to leave this meadow and this moment surprised me. I wasn't used to feeling this way.

I opened my eyes and nodded sadly in agreement.

Edward must have noticed my expression because he gave me a sad smile and said, "We can come back here whenever you want."

I smiled at his sincerity and felt a little happier.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

Bella and I took our time walking back to the house.

I felt like I was floating on a cloud.

The smile I had on my face must have been very stupid looking, but at the moment, I could care less.

It got even better when I took Bella's hand to help her over a fallen log, and she didn't release it afterwards.

More then once I had to catch myself from falling when I got distracted by looking at her.

We both stopped when the house came into view; neither of us wanting to go forward.

Bella was that one that first started walking, "Come on, you know that if we don't get in there soon, she's just going to come out and look for us."

"Good point." I said, following her across my backyard.

Once across, she reached out to open the door, but I grabbed her hand and swung her back to face me.

Quickly, before she could question my intentions, I crushed my lips to hers.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, while I wrapped mine around her waist. I had a feeling we were both relying on each other to hold us upright.

I only broke the kiss when my lungs were in dire need of air.

Bella had a slightly dizzy look in her eyes, and her cheeks were flushed.

"Just wanted to give you something to remember me by when Alice comes and takes you away from me." I said giving her another small peck on the lips. I still felt the same thrill go through me whenever I realized that I was allowed to kiss her now.

"Yeah, well you succeeded." She said, the blush still not leaving her cheeks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

Edward and I quietly snuck into the kitchen through the back door. Our motions must not have been as quiet as I thought because the next thing we heard was:

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU!!!" yelled Alice, who was now standing with her hands on her hips glaring at us from the other side of the kitchen.

"Bye Bella." Edward whispered in my ear as he hightailed it upstairs.

_Thanks a lot Edward_

"I went out for a run with Edward." I told her crossing my arms across my chest.

She narrowed her eyes further.

"I'm just going to go change." I said, pointing towards the stairs and shuffling away from her.

"Fine, but we are definitely talking after." She said, keeping her eyes on me.

I took the chance and ran up the stairs before she said anything else.

I stripped out of my wet shorts and shirt and put on a pair of jeans and a striped polo shirt that Alice picked out the last time we were at the mall.

I had barely stepped out of the room when Alice dragged me right back in.

I knew what was coming so I just went and sat on the beanbag. Flashbacks from last night were flying through my head.

Alice just stood there and stared at me until I started to fidget.

"He kissed you again." She said, no trace of a question in the statement anywhere.

I nodded and blushed again at the memory of that last kiss. He wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to give me something to remember.

"You guys were gone forever. Where did you go?" She asked sitting down on her bed.

"Well, he took me to this really pretty meadow and-" I started

"No way! He never takes girls there! You must really be something special…" She said, trailing off towards the end into her own thoughts.

I tried not to think about her comment too much.

I got up to put my ipod away when there was a knock on her door.

I walked over and opened it up, only to be greeted by Edward.

"Hey" I said, pushing stray strands of hair out of my eyes.

"Hey yourself, are you ready to go?" He said looking at both of us with a smile.

"Where are we going?" Inquired Alice who appeared next to me.

"The three of us, plus Emmett, Rose and Jasper, are going to go play laser tag." He replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

Ten minutes later I was sitting in my Volvo, cruising down the highway. Bella was sitting next to me and Alice and Jasper were in the back seat.

I hoped that laser tag was a good idea; Bella seemed to like sports and stuff like that.

Plus is would be a good place to show off a little bit.

I glanced into my rear view mirror and spotted Emmett's monstrous jeep, a few cars back. They were meeting us there since we couldn't all fit in one car.

I was getting more excited by the second, I always loved laser tag; I was unusually good at it. Every time we came here, I would always win; though Jasper came in a close second.

I glanced at Bella and smiled. Even though we wouldn't be alone, I didn't want to forget my family. Besides, Alice would never have just let me run off with Bella like I did this morning.

My thoughts instantly returned to my meadow; though, now I felt that it was our meadow. I would be more then happy to share it with Bella.

I pulled into the half full parking lot and watched as Emmett pulled in behind me.

I turned off the car and got out, making sure to go over and open Bella's door for her as well.

"Thanks." She replied shyly.

I simply smiled at her and took her hand in mine; I brought it up to my lips and kissed her knuckles, before letting it drop back to my side.

I looked up to see Alice with a smug smirk on her face, Emmett with a huge grin, Rosalie rolling her eyes and Jasper with just a hint of a smile on his face.

I mentally shrugged and led Bella to the entrance; holding the door open for her. I saw her roll her eyes, but also noticed a hint of a smile there as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

"Alright, so laser tag is over all pretty simple." Edward explained as handed me one of the vests.

Edward apparently booked the entire place for the six of us for an hour. It continued to amaze me just how much money can do.

"The object of the game is to shoot other players as many times as you can, without getting hit yourself." He continued.

I had never played before, but I had a feeling that I wouldn't be too bad at this game.

"Alright, well if you guys are ready, you should get going." Said the greasy teenager who worked there.

He saw me looking his way and gave me a creepy smile and a wink; making me involuntarily shudder.

However, that feeling immediately went away when I felt Edward's arm snake around my waist, pulling me into his side.

"You should all know the rules, if you get hit twenty times, your out and have to leave the arena." The guy working there continued.

We all nodded and started to snap on our vests.

"Why don't you let me help you Bella." Edward said, helping me slide into my vest and put my laser gun in its holster.

"Okay, you're pretty new at this so I'm going to give you some pointers." He said; it took everything in my power not to scoff at his comment. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't supposed to be good at this.

"First, I'll show you how to hold the gun." He said, taking his own out of the holster and holding it up for me to see. I followed his lead and took my own out.

"Like this." I said stupidly, purposefully holding the gun in an odd way that I had to refrain from fixing.

"Perfect!" He said, I started to give him a look that said '_You have got to be kidding me.'_, but caught myself just in time. I fixed my grip as soon as he looked away.

"You have to try and hit the three major spots: The chest, the back and the other persons laser gun." He said, pointing to each one in turn.

I nodded my head in understanding, playing my part very well.

"Now, I'm pretty good at this, so I'll go easy on you." He told me.

I gave him a smile and said in a grateful voice that was starting to make me sick, "Oh really, thanks. I'll probably be terrible at it."

"No problem." He said as we walked into the arena together.

If he had turned around, he would have seen the competitive spark in my eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

The arena was pitch black, but the faint glow coming off of our vests and laser guns gave me enough light to see a few feet ahead of me.

"Alright, why don't you stick with me; that way you won't get hit as easi-" I said, turning towards Bella, only to discover that there was no one there and I was talking to myself.

Confused, I whipped my head around, searching for her.

_I could have sworn she was right behind me_

I didn't have time to ponder this thought, because there was a sudden onslaught of flashing lights, coming from Emmett.

I started running, shooting behind my shoulder, all the while glancing around for Bella.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

My eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness. I could now make out the faint outlines of the obstacles in the arena.

There were tons of ramps, leading to different levels; and maze-like walls, leading to who knows where.

I closed my eyes and listened.

I could hear the noise of two laser guns coming from about thirty feet to my right. And I could also hear heavy foot steps at a constant rhythm, coming in from behind me.

I smiled and opened my eyes again. If my calculations were correct, the person running this way from behind me would appear in approximately seven seconds. Giving me enough time to find a hiding spot and ambush them.

I crept silently behind one of the walls with an opening, patiently waiting for them to come.

My calculations turned out to be exact, because a few seconds later, Rosalie came around the corner, running right into my line of fire.

Before she could even register what was happening, I got about fifteen shots in, hitting her vest directly in the chest, making it light up with each shot.

When she discovered where the shots were being fired from, she started firing back. This made things a little more difficult, but not much.

Soon her entire vest was flashing red, signaling that she was 'dead'.

I came out of my hiding spot, but couldn't take the triumphant smile off of my face.

Upon realizing that it was me, she scowled and sent a chilly glare. I gave her a mocking wave goodbye as she exited the arena.

_One down, four to go._

I went at a jog, keeping my entire body silent. I figured that since I had the training anyways, I might as well use it.

_Besides, this is good practice._

I heard them before I saw them. I crept behind one of the walls and listened in.

"I hit Emmett quite a few times back there, I don't know if he's done; I'm not sure what happened to Rosalie though." That was clearly Edwards's voice.

"I don't know either, Jasper came out of no where and got me; I'm out for good." I recognized the second bitter voice as Alice.

"Have you seen Bella anywhere? I lost her at the beginning." Edward asked her.

I assumed that she shook her head because I didn't hear a response from her; just a sigh from Edward.

"Alright, well maybe she got out. I'm going to go after Jasper." He said before I heard his footsteps receding in the opposite direction.

I slid out of my hiding place carefully.

"Hey Alice." I said quietly.

She jumped about a foot and spun around, putting her hand over her heart.

"Jesus Bella, don't do that." She whispered.

"Sorry." I said, forgetting that people weren't used to me appearing out of no where.

"Edward is still in the game, so is Emme-" She started

"I know" I said lightly, cutting her off.

"You were listening?" She asked unbelievingly.

I nodded, glancing around to keep an eye out.

"I'm not sure what happened to Rose." She said, glancing around as if expecting her to appear.

"I do." I said with a small smirk.

Even in the dark I was able to see her eyes widen.

"I should leave now, you have to go after Edward and kick his butt. He's won way too many times before." She said with a confident smile.

"You got it." I said with a matching smile before taking off in the direction that Edward went.

I had to run my way through the maze for a while before I found them. Both of them were firing relentlessly; filling the air with bright flashes of light and the noise of the laser gun.

It appeared to be pretty matched so far, the numbers on their vests said about five hits each.

I decided to tip the scale and help Edward out.

I circled around and positioned myself to Jaspers south. Neither of them had noticed me, and I hoped to keep it that way.

I fired off three shots before ducking behind one of the shorter walls and out of sight.

I knew that they would hit their target, so I didn't waist any time about repositioning myself.

The plan was to keep moving, occasionally firing shots whenever I had an opening. If I just did that, then neither of them would be able to pin down my location, or fire back.

For the second time that night, my plan worked. Edward and I made quick work of Jasper, and soon his vest was lit up just like Alice's and Rosalie's.

I slipped back into one of the deeper shadows, preparing to get some distance between Edward and I.

"Whichever one of you is out there still, your next!" I heard Edward's voice yelling as I silently sprinted through the maze.

I soon spotted a good place to set up my trap. It was a ramp that went up to a small second level. The second level was only about thirty square feet or so, but it would do the trick.

There were plenty of short walls that I could use to my advantage.

I reached the top and crouched down behind one of the shorted walls, looking down upon the rest of the arena, waiting for my prey to come and find me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I searched through the maze slowly; I wasn't sure who my opponent was. The only thing I was sure of was that we were the only two left.

I was one person away from wining. I could practically taste the victory on my tongue.

I assumed my opponent was either Emmett or Rosalie. I knew that Emmett only had a few shots left when I last saw him, and Rosalie wasn't the toughest opponent. This would be a piece of cake.

At least that was what I thought, until I turned one corner and was hit four times square in the chest; making my count shoot up to nine hits.

I wildly returned fire, not knowing from which direction the shots were coming from.

This only resulted in me receiving two more hits; I aborted that idea and dove behind a wall.

_Maybe I can coax him out of the open_

"Are you really that afraid of me that you have to hide Emmett!?!" I yelled over the wall.

The response I got was definitely one I wasn't expecting.

"I'm hurt Edward, I would have thought that you of all people could have told the difference between me and Emmett."

_Holy shit! That's Bella!_

I couldn't believe it; I had to see for myself.

I started to stand up and look over the wall. Only to have another shot hit me square in the chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Edward." Bella taunted

"I guess you've played this game before." I yelled over the wall, feeling incredibly stupid.

"I guess you could say that." Was her response.

I got down on my stomach and started to army crawl away from the wall.

I had to try and distract her, otherwise she might keep shooting; and I don't think I had enough hits left in me.

"Why don't you come down here, and we can battle it out on level ground." I yelled up, ducking behind another wall as streaks of light flew over my head.

"I don't think so Edward. If you want me, you're going to have to come and get me!" She yelled, my mind immediately imagined the double meaning that I wasn't sure was intended.

I had to shake away how unbelievably sexy her words sounded and started to slowly make my way closer and closer to where she was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

It was completely silent.

And I didn't like it.

I retreated a little ways from the edge of the second level and took position behind a medium sized wall.

The waiting was starting to make me nervous and kept my eyes moving constantly, waiting for any sign of movement.

I jolted into motion when my vest lit up and I was hit in the back.

I scrambled to get away from there, all the while getting hit two more times before diving around the other side of the wall.

"See, now we're on level ground! I guess you didn't know about the second ramp on the other side, huh!" Yelled Edward smugly from somewhere behind me.

I was too busy kicking myself to respond.

I looked at my options, to my right was a wall that had sufficient coverage and a good position for shooting; but was farther away then the wall directly to my left that had poor coverage.

I glanced down at the number on my vest. It read three, so I figured that I could spare a few if it meant getting better cover.

I took a deep breath before hoisting myself up and sprinting across the small clearing to the other side.

Edward took advantage of my lack of cover; making my count go up to ten by the time I got across.

I cursed silently and glanced around the corner; I barely made out the shape of Edward squatting behind a wall twenty paces away or so.

His vest read eleven hits. Which meant that I had to get him nine more times before I won.

I sent a few shots over to distract him; it worked because he sent some right back. This allowed me to start moving away from there and circle around.

I did the same thing with him that I did with Jasper.

I kept him guessing at my location, all the while hitting him occasionally.

He had gotten a few nice shots in himself and my number of hits rose dramatically along with his.

By the time I had come completely around, we were both at nineteen.

I was creeping up absolutely silently; my breathing was silent, while his was louder from exhaustion.

He seemed to be focused on one wall, seeming to believe that I was behind it.

I placed my feet carefully, I wasn't very far away but the distance seemed to stretch on forever.

I stood directly behind him, reveling in the fact that he had no idea of my presence.

I leaned in and breathed two words into his ear, "Game over."

I pulled my trigger one final time and watched as his vest lit up and flashed red.

He turned around, I wasn't sure what I was expecting as a reaction to losing, but it sure wasn't what I got.

He gave me a brilliant smile before capturing my face between his hands and kissing me with a passion that made my knees start to feel weak.

"Wow" Was my brilliant response when we had to come up for air.

"You told me to come and get you." He said resting his forehead on mine and giving me a crooked smile, "And I got you."

He tightened his grip on me to emphasize his point. I just smiled at him foolishly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Just in case you're wondering, he didn't let her win; he was actually trying to beat her. Okay, good, now none of you can complain about that when you REVIEW!!!**

**I got an insane amount of reviews last time, it was awesome! I smiled every time I got one. Those of you who give me feedback are great, you brighten my day. This small section is for you guys.**

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**And for everyone in general: I will continue to respond to every REVIEW!!! (Unless of course you tell me not to) I do try and make them personal; I don't just copy and paste the same thing into every one. **

**Summer is approaching! That means I will have more time to write and update! If you guys get me to 700 reviews in the next chapter, I will make the next one extra special!**

**This is starting to get way too long, so I'm going to stop typing now. All you guys have to do is press that pretty green button below. :P**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT (And there's a little bit of Burn Notice in this chapter that I should give credit to.) **

BPOV

Edward and I headed out of the arena, him with his arm around my waist in a comfortable manner.

He didn't seem to mind at all that I beat him.

In fact, looking at his face he seemed to be smiling more then ever.

I shook my head in bewilderment.

We came out into the original waiting area; blinking in the sudden onslaught of light. We had been in the dark arena for an hour and my eyes had grown used to the darkness.

The rest of them were sitting in some chairs that were purposefully put there for people who lost.

Emmett was the only one standing, and he was obviously anxious to figure out what happened.

Edward and I watched in amusement as he tried to contain his curiosity.

Eventually he broke, "Soooo…who won!?!" He asked, gaining everyone else's attention.

Edward merely jerked his thumb towards me, still smiling like an idiot.

"No way!" Emmett and Alice yelled at the same time, Alice now jumping up to join Emmett.

"So what happened to you Emmett?" Edward said to try and detour the conversation.

"Well" Emmett sighed dramatically, obviously about to get into a long story. "There I was-"

"Jasper shot him" Rosalie said, cutting him off and getting right to the point, all the while inspecting her nails.

"Jasper ambushed me." Emmett responded emphasizing the word 'ambushed', all the while glaring at Rosalie for ruining his story.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The entire ride home, Edward recounted our story to them, occasionally turning to me to make sure he got the specifics right.

By the end of his story, many expressions were floating around the car.

Rosalie looked dubious

Emmett and Alice looked excited

And Jasper looked impressed

I was starting to slightly regret using my agent skills during the game. Throughout the rest of the car ride I skillfully avoided any questions, diverting the conversation to safer topics.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We had to go back to their house so that I could grab my stuff before heading home.

As we pulled through the extremely long drive way towards there house, I noticed an obviously expensive Mercedes sitting in the driveway. This immediately put me on edge, my hand automatically going to rest on my thigh, feeling the stiff metal of my weapon.

"Huh, dad's here. That's unusual." Remarked Alice nonchalantly when she spotted the car.

Even though this message calmed my worries dramatically, it did not cause my hand to move away from my hip.

I glanced over at Edward and noticed a slightly nervous expression on his face. However, it was gone just as fast as it showed up, making me wonder if it was even there in the first place.

We pulled up and Edward turned off the ignition, got out the car then came around and opened my door for me.

I rolled my eyes at his show of chivalry.

He hooked my arm in his and started to lead me towards the house, "Here, come on, I want you to meet my dad."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We walked into the extremely large entry way, me getting more uncomfortable by the second.

I couldn't tell what I was more nervous about, meeting Mr. Cullen as the undercover agent, or meeting him as regular Bella Swan.

"Dad?" Edward called out into the seemingly empty house.

"In here Edward." Came a gruff voice from a room to the right.

Edward led me towards the voice, placing his hand on the small of my back; this small gesture helped me relax by a small fraction.

It's part of my training to be able to judge people at first sight, to look for advantages and disadvantages they might posses.

Mr. Cullen was not very hard to read.

It was obvious that he liked having influence, of being in charge of things. Some people have this appearance of superiority around them that just screams for respect. He practically wore it like a mask.

I sensed Edward straighten up a little bit more beside me, showing some of the tension that was obviously present.

Mr. Cullen was sitting at a desk studying a large array of papers that were strayed out in front of him, not even glancing up to acknowledge our presence.

Edward cleared his throat and said, "Father, this is Bella."

At this, Mr. Cullen looked up, seeming to realize that we were actually standing there.

He didn't say anything, but his eyes inspected me with a dubious expression on his face.

I waited patiently for his eyes to return to my face and gave him the hardest look I could muster with just my eyes, making him glance away before mine.

It was obvious that he wasn't used to people being defiant in his presence, even if it was silently.

"Was there something you wanted Edward?" He asked, looking back down at his papers, signing his name on one before flipping to the next one.

"Umm…well." Edward started, seeming to have lost his nerve in front of his father.

I was starting to like this man less and less. I decided to save Edward from his uncomfortable set back.

"He just wanted me to meet you." I said with a forced smile when Mr. Cullen glanced up again.

"Edward, I'm very busy right now, maybe we can do this another time." He said dismissively.

Edward got a slightly hurt expression on his face that made me heart constrict.

I took his hand and led him out of the room, my anger towards his father fighting against my sympathy towards Edward.

I restrained from going back in there and giving his father a piece of my mind, but that wasn't the smart play here.

Edward had a sad look on his face as he led me upstairs to get my things. Frowns didn't look good his face, I decided to fix that.

I stopped him from walking into his room by pulling him back to me and pressing my lips to his, my arms wrapping around his neck upon their own accord.

It worked because I soon felt him smile against my lips. I felt his tongue sensually trace my lips, asking permission. I granted it by opening my mouth slightly, his tongue started massaging my own, and soon we were battling for dominance.

We stood in the hallway kissing for a while, and by the time we came up for air we were both breathing heavily.

Edward leaned his forehead against mine, his breath fanning over my face.

"You are going to be the death of me." He said softly.

_I hope not. _ I thought, my mind returning to my mission.

He took my hand in his and led me to Alice's room to retrieve my bag; "I'm sorry about my dad, he's just really busy with work." He said as I grabbed my overnight bag.

"No problem, I understand." I said, not wanting to make Edward uncomfortable.

I think it's about time that I visited Cullen Inc. headquarters. I needed to get to the bottom of this quickly before things go south.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Edward drove me home in his Volvo, but when he pulled up in front of my house neither of us moved.

When the silence stretched on long enough, I said, "I should get moving" and started reaching for the door handle.

I felt Edward's hand on mine, stopping me before I got out.

"I would kiss you, but I don't know if your parents are watching." He said, glancing at the house.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to get grounded any time soon." I said, cringing slightly at the automatic onslaught of memories that came with the word 'parents'.

"Well in that case…" He said before leaning and kissing me one last time before I left.

I got out of his car a little light headed. That stayed with me even after he left and I was back inside my own house.

I spent the rest of the day going around the house and fixing anything that needed fixing.

I made sure to drink a cup of coffee with dinner; it was bound to be a long night.

I hadn't gotten as much information as I needed from the small office in Edwards house.

My next step was to go to the large building where Mr. Cullen was bound to store every document about every thing that Cullen Inc. has ever done. That was my best shot for unraveling this mystery.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time midnight rolled around, I was stirring in eagerness. I was anxious to get out there and do what I had spent years training for. I hadn't really been able to do anything high end since I got here, tonight's mission was going to be refreshing.

I got up from my couch and headed to my bedroom.

I went right past the clothes that Alice got me on our last shopping trip. Wearing those would be hazardous.

I smiled as a stepped into the familiar material of my mission clothes.

The black material was nearly impossible to tear, and was custom made for each agent. It was like a second skin to me and I couldn't help but revel in the familiarity of them.

Next was a black long sleeve shirt made from the same material that was form fitting as well. It's meant to help your movements move more smoothly, and is just tight enough to not catch on anything.

Next I slipped on my belt; it was thick enough to have two knife holsters and a gun holster. It was empty for now, but I would add the weapons later.

Next I slipped on my gloves, they were the same midnight black as my clothing, and fit like…well they fit like a glove. No pun intended. I planned to get out of the building clean, leaving no mark that I was ever there in the first place.

I put my hair in a tight ponytail and looked in the mirror before heading out of my room.

This was my standard uniform, all black. I had to admit, I looked pretty intimidating. I reveled in the thought of people thinking of me as menacing, as fearless.

I headed down the hall into my weapons room, taking a few minutes to unlock all the security measures I installed a while ago.

Once inside I breathed in the familiar scent of gunpowder, feeling right at home.

I went to the closet that stored all my weapons, debating in my head which ones to take.

In the end I ended up putting one of my sigs in the holster and choosing two good throwing knives.

With that set, I grabbed a backpack and filled it supplies I knew I would need later to get past security.

I had spent a few hours going over the security blueprints of the office building this afternoon. It was pretty high end; meaning that there was obviously information in there that was valuable.

It had taken me a while to get the blueprints in the first place. First I tried hacking into the security line itself, but there were too many virtual trip wires so to speak that there was no way I could get it without being noticed. So in the end I had re-routed my search through an employees account, and then accessed the blueprints. No one would second glance at one of the security personnel looking over the blueprints.

I planned the route I would have to take, avoiding as many alarms as possible, but I would have no choice but to go through a few.

Thus explaining why I needed so many materials to help me get past them undetected.

Once I was all set, I hoisted the bag over my shoulder and made my way out of the room.

Before heading out, I slipped back into my room and grabbed my sunglasses. It wouldn't be good for someone to be able to recognize me later by my eyes; also, I just wanted to complete the look I was going for. I think Alice was starting to rub off on me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I slipped into my maserati and started the engine.

I used my GPS on my phone to navigate me to the building.

It led me to the Port Angeles business district. This are was not nearly as wooded as Forks. There were large office buildings, at least forty floors tall, surrounded by parking garages and closed coffee shops.

Everything was dark except for a few street lights that popped up every hundred feet or so.

The Cullen Inc. building was by far the biggest, and had its own parking lot along the side; there was no way I was going to be able to park in there without going noticed. Instead I settled for parking on the second level of an open parking garage next door.

I cut the engine and got out of the car, all the while taking deep breaths and trying to calm my eagerness. Overconfidence can be deadly in my line of work, it never bodes well for agents who underestimate their enemies.

I shouldered my backpack and jogged out of the parking garage, making sure to run silently and stick to the shadows.

When the building came in sight, I slowed to a cautious walk.

From the blue prints, it was obvious that Mr. Cullen did not skim on security. There were security guards constantly roaming the building (most likely armed), enough security sensors that even I had to be careful, and plenty of other stuff that could either get me killed or thrown in jail. Mr. Cullen guarded his secrets very carefully, making them all the more enticing.

I reveled at the thought of an actual challenge; it wasn't often that I actually had to worry about being careful. I linked my fingers together and stretched my arms out, cracking my knuckles.

I pulled up the blueprint in my mind. According to the lay out, the security office was close to the entrance. My best bet was to find a service entrance, one that was used for the janitors.

The closest one from my position was past the security office and on the other side of the building. It was in the alley between the parking structure and office building.

My only obstacles were the security cameras were stationed in the front of the building.

That was the easy part.

When I got to the point where there were no more shadows, about a hundred feet away from the door, I crouched down and slid my backpack off my shoulders.

Reaching inside, I pulled out the laser pointer that I often used for times like this.

There were two CCTV security cameras that would give me away if I were to step out of the shadows. The others were pointing in other directions, so I didn't need to worry about those until later.

Laser pointers were the ideal tool for spies when they needed to get past security cameras. If you pointed the laser at the camera lens for ten seconds, it overrides the light sensor momentarily, allowing you to slip by.

I had done this trick a million times before; most of the security personnel that are in charge of monitoring the security cameras usually don't pay attention as much as they should; besides they're more concerned about watching the monitors for the cameras inside..

I was counting on this fact alone. A security guard would notice if a person walked across the screen, but if it were to go blank for approximately fifteen seconds, they may think nothing of it.

I took a deep breath and set to work.

Once I had both cameras done I didn't waist any time. I shouldered my bag and sprinted across, counting down the approximate seconds that I had left before the cameras came back on.

Once across I dove back into the shadows, waiting in apprehension.

If I went unnoticed, like planned, then I would keep going. If I hear a lot of movement or alarms, it was time to get out of there.

I waited a good five minutes and heard nothing. So either I was in the clear, or Cullen Inc. has really slow security.

Now that I was in the much darker alley where the street lights couldn't reach, it got a little easier.

I made my way over to the side door that had a manual lock hanging off of it.

_When this is done, I really have to help them update their security._

Reaching into my pack again, I took out a can of computer screen cleaner. It was a liquid that people spray onto their computer screens to keep dust from settling on it.

What people usually don't know is that when turned upside down, the pressure from the can crystallizes the liquid and makes it a sprayable form of ice.

I covered my mouth with sleeve and pressed on the nozzle, coating the lock completely. Once I was sure that it was covered by the frozen spray, I used a nearby rock to take care of the rest. The force from the rock would have never broken off the lock by itself, so I tend to keep a can of the computer cleaner handy whenever I go on a mission like this.

It's amazing how many things you can do with the stuff you get from a simple hardware store. And besides, a can of computer cleaner and a laser pointer look a lot less suspicious then some other high tech stuff that would do the trick just as well.

Finished with that, I slipped inside. The room was a little bigger then a storage closet and was filled with brooms and extra office supplies. I didn't spend any time in there and made my way across to the door leading into the main part of the building.

I knew, after studying the security blueprints, that this area of the building did not have any security cameras because it was just used for security and maintenance workers. No major information was stored here either, which meant that I had to make my way to the upper levels.

I sprinted down the hallway; passing bathrooms and what I'm sure were more utility closets like the one I just came out of.

There wasn't a soul in sight; I'm sure that there were some employees still working in a few offices somewhere in the building, but most had gone home long before now.

The door to the emergency stairs was what I was looking for. Because they are primarily used for emergencies, they're not aloud to ever be locked.

This made it very convenient for people like me. I definitely wanted to avoid elevators; there were way too many security cameras for my liking in them.

I was breathing heavily by the time I got to the top floor which is where Mr. Cullen's main office is, along with the information I needed.

This is where security got a little more intense.

The top floor consisted of a fairly short, open hallway with doors leading off to large offices and conference rooms on either side, according to my blueprints. Mr. Cullen's office was at the direct end of the hall.

There were no security cameras here either, because the people that monitored them didn't have a high enough clearance to be able to see what happens up here.

However, that didn't mean there was no security.

There were both motion detectors and heat sensors on this level, leading me to be a little bit more creative.

The first thing I took out of my bag before I entered the range of the sensors was a heat resistant blanket. As long as I managed to keep myself completely under it, it would cover up the heat that the sensor would pick up from my body.

The second thing I took out was an unfoldable board that was big enough to cover my body.

On one side of it was a coating of a thick soft fabric. The motion detector works by sound not by sight. It sends out signals that bounce off of things and come back to the sensor, if something moves, it sets off the alarm. It's very similar to the sonar they use in submarines.

The soft fabric on the board would absorb the sensors sound waves, instead of them hitting me and setting off the alarm.

The trick was to move slowly, once I had everything in place I crouched down and slowly inched forward. Agents learn quickly to be patient, rushing something like this could easily get you killed.

I was sweating with nervousness by the time I made my way across the room. I kept the board to my back as I grabbed my lock pick and worked open the door to his office.

I slipped inside but didn't touch the door; it was no longer behind board, so if I closed it, the noise would set off the alarm.

I breathed a small sigh of relief once inside the office. There was hardly any security in here because he obviously didn't expect anyone to get past the motion detector.

I swiftly walked over to the desktop computer sitting on the expensive mahogany desk. There was a little bit of moonlight coming through the large, open window behind the desk, giving me enough light to work with.

I shrugged off my backpack and placed it on the floor next to me, taking out the laptop and the wires I would need.

In no time I had his computer running and creatively weaved through his computer security system, allowing the hacking software on my laptop to do most of the work and find the loopholes in his security.

Eventually I was able to get to the files I figured I would need; the ones that obviously contained big and expensive information.

I watched patiently as the ones and zeros flowed back and forth between the two computers, copying the information and planting it deep into my own hard-drive.

Hopefully this would give me everything I needed to find out what the hell was going on.

My computer was almost done transferring the files, so I decided to get moving on the other thing I wanted to do.

I took out a cheap disposable cell phone from my bag, along with a screwdriver.

I opened up the actual computer part of his computer, where the hard drive and battery were, using my screwdriver.

Once I had the cover off, I set the disposable cell phone to speaker and took the back off.

This was a good way to plant a bug in someone's office for many reasons:

Hardly anyone checks the inside of a computer.

Cheap, disposable cell phones pick up a lot more sound (Which is usually a bad thing) when put on speaker, then nicer phones do.

And no one can trace the cell phone if it's discovered.

The smaller and nicer bugs that the academy makes aren't completely untraceable; that's why I prefer this approach.

The only problem was that the phones died quickly and needed to be charged somehow. So, by stripping one of the wires on the computer's battery I connected it to my phone by sliding off the backing and stripping the wire in there as well.

Then by using a piece of duct tape to keep it place and using the screwdriver to replace the computer cover, I had the perfect bug set to listen to Mr. Cullen's conversations.

The cell phone was connected wirelessly to another one I had back at the house that was attached to a recorder.

By now my laptop was finished and I was closing down my computer and putting it back in my bag, getting ready to head back out.

I felt my hair rustle by wind coming through the cracked open window behind me and froze.

'_No no no no no' _

Was the only thought going through my head as I snapped my head up in panic, watching in horror as the wind pushed the partly open door, causing it to lightly bump against the frame, emitting the smallest 'tap' into the hallway outside.

It didn't even take a second for the alarms to start.

"Shit!" I cursed under my breath.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and booked it out of the office.

The alarm was a loud blaring siren, very similar to an alarm clock, only a hundred times louder. I was having a difficult time hearing my own thoughts.

I had maybe a minute before the entire onslaught of security busted through here and I was caught.

My mind jumped into action; my first move had to be to delay the security, otherwise I would never make it out of here.

I slammed my foot into the nearest door in reach, breaking the lock…and starting another alarm. I ran in and grabbed the first thing I saw, which was conveniently a small book.

'_Perfect'_

I ran back into the hall and sprinted towards the elevator.

Elevators have so many safety regulations that they're easy to sabotage.

I jammed the book into the gap between the elevator doors and the wall. Until that was removed, the elevator wouldn't work.

I didn't have time to worry about the stair door. Instead I took out my gun from its holster and set to work.

If Mr. Cullen's office is the only one with the alarm, it's going to be obvious that what I took was in there.

So, aiming carefully, I went by and shot the handle of a few random doors quickly. This would disable the lock, while also starting the alarm, and make it uncertain which room I took the information from.

By now there were so many alarms going off that I was sure my ears were going to be ringing for hours. It had already been about thirty seconds since the first alarm went off, I didn't have much time.

I shot open the lock of the door labeled 'Conference Room', and breathed a short sigh of relief when I saw a balcony.

I pushed one of the heavy metal cabinets against the door, hoping to prolong my encounter with security. I ran across the room and broke open the balcony door just as I heard the pounding of heavy foot steps out in the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

It was extremely early in the morning when I woke up with a start.

"That's impossible!" That was obviously my father's voice coming from outside my bedroom door as I heard his bedroom door slam.

"Well if that's the case, stop talking to me and GET THEM!!! They are under no circumstances getting away!!!" He yelled before slamming his phone shut and racing out of the house, slamming the door on his way out.

I was curious, worried and tired all at the same time; each emotion fighting the others, battling for dominance over my mind. Tired must have won, because I pushed my curiosity and worries into the back of my mind and laid back down in my bed.

My thoughts couldn't help but go to Bella, probably asleep in her own bed, dreaming peacefully. This calming thought made my own eyelids droop, allowing me fall into a smooth sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I climbed up onto the ledge of the balcony, forcing my eyes away from the drop below, my hair whipping my face from the wind.

I turned to face the roofs ledge and jumped for it, hanging on for all my might when I reached it, my feet dangling wildly. My hand slipped once, making panic flow through me briefly, before I managed to grab on again.

My arms were straining as I swung myself up over the roofs ledge. I was panting with relief when I made it, but I had no time to rest.

I quickly picked myself back up and raced across the roof, searching for another way down.

I found it when I saw a fire escape. I didn't look behind me to see if anyone was following as I hoisted myself over the edge and onto the ladder.

I scrambled down it until I came to a balcony that was a few floors lower then the level I was on previously.

I could either jump to the balcony and take my chances inside, or continue going down the ladder where I could easily be picked off by a bullet. All this information went through my head in less then a second and I quickly decided to continue down the ladder.

It took me a few minutes, which ordinarily would have seemed extremely fast, but to me it was too long for my liking.

Business security comes in two forms.

There is the innocent one that is a branch from the police, who use tasers and have the authority to arrest you and bring you downtown.

Or there is the kind that it paid (usually illegally) to protect the company's secrets and guard the building at all costs, they usually deal with matters by using bullets rather then filling out a piece of paper and throwing someone in a jail cell.

So it was only my luck when I discovered that Mr. Cullen hires the latter kind of security.

They had obviously discovered where I had gone and were now standing on the roof high above me, shooting downwards. The bullets were ricocheting off the ladder, sending off sparks.

'_Fantastic' _ I thought sarcastically

I was at the part of the ladder that was connected together that you had to make is slide down the rest of the way with a lever. I wouldn't last much longer hanging there so I used my foot and smacked the lever, allowing the part that was connected to slide the remainder of the way down. It was much quicker then climbing and soon my feet connected with the ground roughly.

My relief for finally getting to the ground was short lived when I heard a voice yell, "Over there by the ladder!"

"arghhhh!" I growled quietly to myself, before high tailing it in the opposite direction.

I was in the same alley as before, but a ways further down.

Here, the area was much larger and instead of the concrete wall of the parking structure, there was a seven foot high chain link fence with a couple lines of barbed wire running across the top.

I took a running start and jumped onto the fence, skillfully climbing up. Once at the top I placed my backpack over the barbed wire part and hoisted myself over, landing softly on the other side.

I was now at the back entrance to the parking garage. I raced inside and ran up the ramp to the second level.

I jumped in my car and started the engine; the tires squealing as I backed out of my spot and sped down the ramp towards the exit.

I was going around the first level quickly when I noticed two cars swerve in behind me.

'_Just my luck'_

I saw the power box for the lighting of the parking garage and swiftly put two bullets in it, dousing the lights. I cut my headlights and sped out of the garage. I heard the squealing of one set of tires and a crash, but didn't turn around to see.

I sped off down the road at fastest speed I could go without crashing. Everything was going well until I heard the familiar ricochet of bullets off my bullet proof windshield.

"I swear to god if they get a scratch on this car" I mumbled under my breath.

I glanced in my rear view mirror and spotted one car following me down the dark street.

I smiled maliciously at the thought of a car chase: I was particularly good at them.

There's certain amount of time in a car chase that you have to escape. Pretty soon whoever is chasing you will get backup and then it's easy for them to corner you.

Once we got to a relatively straight road, I leaned out my window and shot bullets below the front of their car.

Chances are their car was just as bullet proof as mine was, making it impossible to do any damage to the windows; the only way to actually hit the person was to ricochet bullets underneath the car and up through the floorboard. They don't expect it and it's very hard to drive when you have bullets shooting at you from underneath your car.

It only took a few more bullets before I heard the familiar squeal of tires and following crash as the driver obviously failed at trying to drive and dodge bullets at the same time.

I didn't stick around for their backup. I readjusted my sunglasses and pressed the pedal a little harder, speeding off with a vindictive smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Did anyone else think that chapter was intense, I thought it was intense. **

**You guys are awesome and I've got over 700 reviews now! And because I promised that I would make it awesome if I got 700 reviews, I listened to a lot of your requests and wrote a chapter filled to the brim with action.**

**See, good things come to those who REVIEW!!!**

**I'm on summer vacation now, which means that I have a lot more time to write! But only if you guys REVIEW! (I would like to get to 800 before the next chapter) You are the ones that need this story updated to know what happens next; **_**I**_** already know what's going to happen, so it's nothing for me. The least you guys can do is REVIEW! **

**Oh, I just wanted to mention that you can now leave anonymous reviews, I wasn't even aware that I had that disabled before until one of you guys told me in a review. So…sorry about that. :P**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

By the time I pulled into my garage it was close to three o'clock in the morning.

'_That definitely didn't go as planned'_

I got out my car and shut the door roughly, the sound echoing in the silence.

Pushing my sunglasses on top of my head, I went around to the back of my car to assess the damage.

I grimaced at the sight.

There had to be at least a dozen bullet holes in the back. Plus, countless scrapes on my rear window from ricochets. None of the bullets did any major damage, but that didn't mean I could just drive down to the local grocery store unnoticed.

No, I would definitely need new parts.

I fished into my pocket and scrolled through my contacts list. Once I found the right number I hit the send button.

They picked up on the first ring.

"Agent Swan, what a surprise. What can I do for you at…3:00 in the morning?" Came the familiar voice of Adam, my personal mechanic back at the Academy.

"Wait! Don't tell me! You blew up your car again while trying to infiltrate some embassy or some other building." He said before I could get a word out.

"Hey, that's not fair! That was one time, and I needed a good distraction!" I defended.

"Okay, but you do need _something_, don't tell me this purely a social call." He continued.

"Ummm…well…yeah, pretty much." I said.

"Well, go on." He said, trying to get to the point nicely.

"I may have gotten the Maserati all shot and scraped up." I started cautiously, aware of how fond of cars he was. "But! Before you yell at me for almost ruining a quarter million dollar car; I have to point out that I wasn't the one who shot it!"

I heard him sigh through the phone.

"Alright, I'll send some new parts for you Maserati. I'll ask Aro to give me the info on the make and color and whatnot. I also take it that you're going to want new plates?"

"Yeah, new plates would definitely be a good idea. Are you going to fly the parts out tonight?" I asked.

"Sure, I can do that. I'll just have the agent that's stationed in Port Angeles pick them up and help you put it together. I think Aro told me her name is Casey, you know, the agent that's up there as your backup, in case you need it." He said.

"I can't believe he thinks I need backup." I said stubbornly.

"It's just a precaution; we're not really sure what you're up against." He said before yawning, reminding me of the time.

"Alright, thanks again Adam. I don't know what I would do without you." I told him.

"No problem, just promise me that you'll bring the Maserati back in one piece; otherwise Aro is going to give you a beat up old Chevy truck on your next mission." He joked, before hanging up.

I slipped my phone back in my pocket, and couldn't stop the enormous yawn that bubbled up.

With sleepy eyes I locked my car with a beep and stumbled into the house; the night finally catching up with me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time I re-awoke, the sun was streaming in through my window, illuminating my room in a soft light.

I yawned and stretched lazily. I looked over at the clock and saw that it read 10:45 am. I had really overslept.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes.

Glancing down at myself, I realized that I still had on my mission clothes from last night. Apparently I had crashed in my bed before I could change out of them.

I stripped off my clothes pulled on a pair of comfortable sweats and a sweatshirt. I looked in the mirror and noticed a few bruises that weren't there the last time I checked, but they were nothing major.

Once downstairs I made myself a cup of coffee to try and give me a jumpstart on the day that was already almost halfway over.

I had just sunk into the couch, coffee in hand, when there was a knock on the door.

I roughly put my coffee down on the table with a 'clank' and grabbed my gun; my body loosing all traces of sleepiness, my blood rapidly spreading adrenaline throughout my body.

The knock came again as I made my way over to the door. I wasn't sure exactly what Cullen Inc. was thinking at the moment, but it couldn't be good. I don't think I was recognized, but I couldn't know for sure.

I opened it cautiously, one arm behind my back, holding the gun.

My eyes widened in confusion at what I found.

There, standing on my porch, was a girl about my age. She had the most hesitant expression on her face when she saw me open the door.

I raised my eyebrows in question, but did not relax my firm posture.

"Agent Swan." She started sticking out her hand. "I'm-"

But I cut her off by grabbing her outstretched hand and dragging her inside. I shoved her towards the wall and pointed my gun at her. After last night, I wasn't taking any chances, especially if someone knew my name.

"Whoa! I'm from the Academy!" She said, raising her arms in a defensive manor, her eyes shifting between the gun and my face.

I lowered my gun, but didn't put it away. "What's your name and I.D number?" I asked firmly.

"I'm Casey; I'm the agent that's stationed in Port Angeles! I'm your backup!" She said defensively.

"I.D number?" I prompted, my eyes firm.

She sighed dramatically, but said, "463281264638"

I pulled out my cell phone to run the number, when it started ringing.

I looked at her warily and answered it, "Hello?"

"Agent Swan" Came Aro's voice, "I just wanted to give you a heads up, another agent should arrive at your house soon."

"Thanks, but you're a little late. Hold on, I'm going to send you a picture for verification." I said.

I snapped a picture of the girl and sent it him.

A few moments later he started talking, "Yeah, that's her. Good to know you're being cautious, especially after last night."

"How do you-" I started

"I talked to Adam, and had someone look into it. Jesus, you set off just about every alarm in Port Angeles. Casey is there to help you replace the parts of your car. Trust me when I say she's a good agent, and a good mechanic." With that he hung up.

I recalled my conversation with Adam last night; I had nearly forgotten about it in my weariness. Now that I think about it, I do remember him saying something about this girl stopping by.

I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket. I took a good look at her for the first time. She had brown hair, a little shorter then mine, and an athletic build. '_So this who they send as my backup'_

I mentally shrugged and walked back to the kitchen calling over my shoulder, "You want some coffee?"

I heard her footsteps behind me as I set my gun down and picked up my cup of coffee.

"Ummm…no thanks." She said, obviously confused.

I shrugged and sat back down on the couch.

"So you're here to help me with my car?" I asked looking at her over my cup of coffee, slightly skeptical.

"Yeah…I just wanted to let you know how honored I am to meet you, let alone work with you." She said, stuttering slightly.

I suppressed the smile that bubbled up by taking another sip of my coffee.

Sometimes I forget how famous I am back at the academy.

I downed the rest of my coffee and stood up. The tension coming off of her was starting to make _me_ worried.

"Come on, why don't we get started on the car, it's going to take a while." I said

"Sure, yeah, of course." She said, fishing her keys out of her pocket.

I followed her out the door and stood on the sidewalk as she opened the back of her SUV.

I opened up the garage door and helped her carry in the parts.

Once we had them all inside, I closed the garage door again and flipped on the light.

Her eyes widened when she saw the car, "Jeez, what happened?" She ran her fingers over the bullet holes on the trunk of my car.

"I broke into a major business building and didn't get away as clean as I had hoped." I told her searching for the right tools in my garage.

"They weren't kidding when they said you were hard core." She said in awe.

"Well, I'm sure only half the stories they told you about me are true." I told her as I got to work with the electric screwdriver on my car trunk.

"Yeah, the only problem is figuring out which half." She said as she helped me pull the trunk cover off my car.

We worked for a few hours, the noise of power tools filling the garage. I was on my back under the car checking to make sure that everything was still in check.

She was replacing my license plates with new ones; I was taking no chances with this car.

It had been silent in the garage for a while, so I decided to break it; "So, why did they decide to send you specifically as my backup?" I asked, as I pulled myself out from underneath the car and leaned against it.

"I guess I scored well enough in training that they thought I could be sent out. Though, it's not like I've done much, just waiting for any indication that you may need my assistance." She said dutifully.

I was still slightly bitter that Aro thought I needed backup, but I wasn't about to let her know that. Instead I just nodded.

She finished up both license plates quickly and then said, "You know, you're not nearly as scary as I thought you would be." She said in total seriousness, putting down the screwdriver.

"Thanks? I guess." Was my reply.

"I don't mean it in a bad way; it's just that your practically a legend back at the Academy, you have no idea how many agents admire the way you work." She said, trying to reassure me.

"No, it's alright. I guess I've just sort of lost my scary touch since I got here." I said in inference.

It didn't take long for us to finish up the car, and by the time we were done, it looked identical to what it was before last night. Except for the license plates, which were mandatory to change.

"Well, that should just about do it. It should be fine to drive, but you may want to hold off on driving it for a while, just in case someone remembers it from whatever you did last night." She said.

"Thanks, I'll be careful." I said, giving my car a once over to make sure everything was okay. I had to remember to call Edward to give me a ride to school tomorrow.

"Oh! I almost forgot; Aro wanted me to give this to you. It's standard issue now." She said as she handed me a thin I.D and badge, clarifying that I was in the agency. It had a picture of me and the minimal amount of information.

"I don't have to remind you to not keep that out in the open." She said. I nodded and stowed it away in my pocket.

After a small handshake and smile, she left to go back to Port Angeles.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, I spent a while listening to the recordings of Mr. Cullen's office.

Not much was said; the only thing I figured out was that he was pissed off.

He didn't know who did it, which was a relief, but planned to find out.

He also spent a lot of time yelling at his security. But other then that, I would just have to wait and see if I would get any useful information. I planned to go over the files I copied later, that would take a lot more time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday morning finally rolled around; it felt like forever since I had been to school.

Edward pulled his Volvo into the school parking lot. He was talking about what he did this weekend after I left.

"And then on Saturday night my dad had to go to work at some god awful hour. Apparently someone broke into his office at work." He told me in incredulity as he opened my door.

"You're kidding? I thought it was all high-techy and whatnot." I said, playing the ignorant card.

"Yeah, it is, that's the weird part. My dad didn't tell me much. Apparently he wants to keep it on the down low until he figures out who did it." He said laughing and using air quotes around 'down low'.

I laughed nervously, clearing my throat as I got out of his car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was feeling slightly jumpy today, for numerous reasons.

This would be the first day back at school since the other students heard about Edward and me going on our date last Friday.

He seemed to sense what I was worried about and took my hand in his. He leaned towards me and said, "It'll be okay, I'll be by your side the entire day."

I was comforted by his words, but that didn't stop the grimace from appearing on my face when I heard the whispers. Flashbacks from the first day were running through my mind.

Edward seemed to be as happy about the whispers as I was because he dropped my hand and put his entire arm around my waist.

We were about to walk into our first class when Edward stopped me. I was longing for the security of the classroom, so I threw a questioning glance at Edward, all the while eyeing the audience we seem to have attracted.

He leaned towards me and said, "We might as well give them something really good to talk about."

My breath hitched at his words, but I wasn't able to take another breath because the next thing I knew, Edward was kissing me.

It wasn't an innocent light kiss either; he glued his lips to mine and deepened it further then any other kiss we had shared previously.

The sound of people texting and snapping pictures with their phones faded away, along with all coherent thoughts. I wrapped my arms around his neck to steady myself.

We stopped kissing only when we were in dire need of oxygen.

I opened my eyes to find him staring at me with a small smile on his face.

I shook my head to lose some of the cloudiness that seemed to be muddling my thoughts. Thoughts came rushing back to me and I immediately remembered where I was, making my face go completely red as I blushed.

He took my hand again and led me into the classroom.

I sat down in the seat next him and faced him wide eyed, "Why did you do that!?! They're going to spread that across the entire school!"

He simply smiled at me, "Exactly."

"Wait. What?" I asked, genuinely confused now.

"Now no one will second guess that you are mine." He said with intensity in his eyes.

For the second time in five minutes, my breath hitched.

"And you should wear this." He said as he slipped his obviously expensive, silver watch onto my thin wrist. "Just in case you need to remind yourself."

I didn't know what to say, but I don't think it mattered because I don't think I would have been able to speak anyways.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The entire day we were surrounded by pointing and whispers.

Alice helped a lot, she managed to scare away anyone who got a little bit too close for her liking.

During lunch I could tell that everyone at our table's tempers were on a short fuse. I felt bad so I grabbed Edwards hand and led him out of the cafeteria.

I got a lot of envious and angry looks from other girls as we made our way out. But the one that was by far the most livid came from the head cheerleader herself. Tanya looked at me with the most murderous expression she could probably muster. I kept my face calm, but inside, my mind was slightly on edge.

"Why don't we go for a walk around the campus before class starts?" Edward suggested, wrapping his arm around my waist. I nodded in compliance.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

We still had about a half and hour left of lunch. We didn't say much as we walked across the soccer field and sat down on the empty outdoor bleachers.

She sighed and put her head in her hands. This made me concerned.

She picked her head back up and noticed me staring at her. Frowns didn't look as good as smiles on her face, I wanted to fix that.

"We can cut for the rest of the day, if you want." I asked, fully prepared to drive her home at a moments notice.

"No, it's okay. Just give me a minute." she said, taking another deep breath.

"Why don't I come over after soccer practice today? We can hang out at your house and work on homework or something. I could meet your parents" I asked her, trying to get her to smile.

I felt crushed when she grimaced and looked away; I guess she doesn't want me to meet them.

"Or not. I can just drop you off at home after school and then see you back at school." I said, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice.

"No no no! It's not that I don't want you to come over!" She hurriedly told me grabbing my hand in hers, trying to reassure me. "It's just that…ummm…" She trailed off.

This got me curious, "What? You can tell me."

She got a sad look in her eyes and looked away, "Edward…my parents are dead."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

As soon as the words left my lips, I felt slightly relieved. That was one more secret that I no longer had to keep from him.

"But I thought you said-" He started, but I cut him off by shaking my head.

There was a short pause, "I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

"No, don't be. You don't understand." I told him looking away again.

I felt his fingers on my chin, turning my face to look at him.

"What do mean?" He asked softly; the sincerity in his eyes loosened my tongue.

"My parents…weren't exactly the kindest people. No, actually that's putting it lightly." I started. It felt good to get it off my chest. I had a feeling that years of repressed emotions were about to arise.

He didn't say anything; I think he was waiting for me to explain. I figured it would just be easier to show him.

"See this scar." I said as I pulled back the collar from my long-sleeve shirt, exposing the thin white line on my collar bone. "That was a present from my father for my eighth birthday."

I watched Edward's face carefully. He seemed to be struggling with different emotions; at first shock, and then anger, but he finally seemed to settle on sadness.

He didn't say anything. I watched as he slowly reached out and traced my scar with his fingertips.

The silence seemed to grow, "Please say something." I whispered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked sadly, his voice level matching mine.

I shrugged and looked away nonchalantly, trying to rein in the emotions that wanted to leak out.

"Are there any more?" He asked cautiously, tracing my scar again, trying not to cross any boundaries.

"Yeah, you could say that." I said, letting out a big sigh. Granted, some of them were actually from missions, but most were before I joined the agency.

I let out a deep breath, I never knew what it felt like to let go of something like that. I don't think I've ever felt more vulnerable then I did at that moment.

I felt Edward's arms wrap around me and smiled.

"I've never told anyone that before." I confessed, my voice slightly muffled by his shirt.

"Thank you." He said, tightening his hold on me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

The bell rang, signaling that was over.

I looked at Bella and noticed her smiling, it was contagious and I soon found the corners of my lips rising.

"Come on, I want to show you something." I said as I grabbed her hand and kissed it.

We made our way to our next class slowly, savoring the moment.

I looked over at her again. She seemed genuinely happy, which in turn made me happy.

I wasn't sure what to think about what she told me. The only thing I was sure of was that she deserved to be treated a lot better then she was. She deserved to be taken care of.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I was still feeling happy about finally telling someone about my past. We walked into fifth period together, the music room.

I started heading towards my usual couch, but Edward led me to the piano room instead.

He sat me down on the bench next to him, but before I could question his actions, he started playing.

It was the most beautiful song I'd ever heard.

His fingers flowed across the keys in elaborate patterns, filling the entire room with music.

It started out sad and slow but quickly picked up into a steady pattern. I was speechless watching him; I had never had the opportunity to play an instrument before.

I let the final keys ring out before I broke the silence, "Edward, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." I said truthfully, my voice filled with awe.

"Well, I would hope so, because you inspired it." He said, giving me a large smile.

I couldn't say anything, so instead I pulled his face towards me and communicated my feelings through my kiss.

By the time I released him from my embrace, he had a dazed look on his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After school, I made my way to the locker room to change for soccer practice.

The smile that had been on my face since lunch time, dropped when I saw who was inside.

"Well look who it is." Came the nasally voice that belonged to none other then Tanya, busy changing for cheerleading practice with the rest of her team.

I sighed at my misfortune, but didn't dignify her with a response; instead I readjusted my bag and moved past her to my locker.

Immediately after I got it open, it was slammed shut by a poorly manicured hand.

It had been a long day and this girl was really testing my patience.

I crossed my arms and leaned my shoulder against my locker, raising my eyebrow at her.

"I thought I told you to stay away from Edward. Perhaps I hadn't been clear enough. HE IS MINE." She said, her face now only a few inches from my own.

I simply sighed and shook my head sadly; this only ticked her off further.

I stopped leaning against my locker and instead leaned down to grab my soccer bag so that I could put it on the bench. To my dismay, she still seemed to be expecting a response from me.

I sighed and said, "Tanya, let me say this slowly so that it can get through your thick head: Edward-will-never-be-yours."

"Oh, and what makes you so sure that he belongs to _you_." She said defiantly.

I didn't say anything; I simply just raised my wrist to eyelevel and pointed at Edward's watch.

Her eyes widened in shock, but quickly turned murderous.

"You stole that from him! There is no way he would give an idiotic whore like you-"

"Woah, careful there Tanya, those are some pretty big words your using. I don't want you to get a headache." I taunted.

I guess the right word would be sensed. As in I sensed her hand begin to fly forward to slap me. Even if I wanted to, my training as an agent wouldn't have allowed me to not raise my hand at the last second, grabbing her wrist an inch away from my face.

To say she was shocked would be an understatement.

She ripped her wrist out of my grip, her face red from fury and humiliation.

"You know what-!" She said before I cut her off

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me." I couldn't help but taunt.

"You are just some bitch that he picked up, pretty soon he's going to dump you and come crawling back to me." She said, spitting in my face.

Spies aren't supposed let their emotions control their actions.

But sometimes you just can't help it.

Before she could even blink, my palm came in contact with her cheek, leaving a bright red mark behind.

_Phew, that felt good_

The force had caused her to stumble a little bit, allowing for the much needed space between us. Shock was present on her face, obviously she hadn't expected that.

I grabbed my stuff and strode towards her, getting in her face, "Don't even think about coming _near_ me _or_ Edward, or I will rein hell down on your life. And trust me; I'm really good at reining hell."

She was smart enough (or stunned enough) not to say anything as I brushed past her and out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Sorry about the lack of action in this chapter. There were just a few things I needed to get out first. I promise that the next chapter is going to have a lot of action, but only if you REVIEW! (I would like to get up to 900 by the next time I update) I've already got a really good idea in mind. **

**Oh, I also just wanted to say something about your reviews. For those of you who leave nice reviews telling me how much you love my story/chapter, or leaving me suggestions to make it better, I love you guys. But for those of you who leave nasty reviews that pretty much bash this story, I'm not too fond of you. If you don't like this story, don't read it!**

**I'm more then happy to receive suggestions about what you want more of, but please be nice about it. I didn't open up the anonymous reviews so that you can secretly leave reviews that are spiteful. Like I said, I love getting useful and nice suggestions; I often use them to write chapters. **

**For those of you who have left reviews that make me smile because they give suggestions nicely, you can ignore the above two paragraphs. You guys are awesome. **

**This week I'm going to be short on time, so I'm not going to be able to reply to your reviews unless you ask a specific question. (Oh, and asking what's going to happen in the next chapter does not count as a question!) Replying takes a lot of time, and I'm sure you would rather have me spend that time writing the next chapter. :P**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

The days were flying by pretty quickly, and before I knew it, it was Friday.

I was sitting in the cafeteria, eating the salad that I had just purchased a few minutes ago.

My eyes were continuously scanning the lunch room, picking up bits of useless information.

For instance, I now know that a boy named Tom dumped a girl named Jamie on Wednesday after she cheated on him with a boy named Chris. Also, that the boy sitting two tables to my left just stole five dollars from the guy sitting next to him.

There were plenty more things like these that I picked up from lip reading and good eyesight, but they were just as exciting. I couldn't help but notice these things; it was part of my job.

I had nothing better to do anyways; I was still waiting for Edward to join me.

I glanced over at the food line and watched him fish in his pocket for the exact change needed to buy his hamburger.

The other two couples at my table were too engrossed in each other for me to try and involve them in a conversation.

I went back to doing my surveillance of the cafeteria, picking up the gossip that was floating around.

I couldn't help but let out a yawn as I did this, not only was it not the most stimulating task, but I hadn't slept well the last few nights.

Edward finally finished paying for his meal and came and sat next to me, giving me a warm smile which I couldn't help but return. All of the sudden I was very aware of his presence. Every time he would accidently brush his hand against mine, it was like a tiny electric shock.

The whispers revolving around Edward and me on Monday had started to finally fade. Though I still did occasionally hear one of our names come out of the lips of our fellow classmates

It was times like these that my mind would wander to my mission; I would try to think out what the hell could be happening that I was missing.

It made me worried that they hadn't tried to make direct contact with him in a while.

It was like the quiet time in-between battles, a time that instilled suspicion and anxiousness in those that were on the receiving end.

I shook of my worries for the moment and finished the rest of my lunch, yet my eyes still continued to scan across the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

We were sitting in Biology, reading in the text book and taking notes on what we gathered.

I had started taking notes, but had lost interest in the dull information rather quickly. Instead I decided to concentrate all my attention on Bella, which was much more fascinating.

I was currently holding her hand in mine underneath our lab table, while we were both looking at our textbooks.

I slowly flipped her hand over and moved it to the top of my knee. There seemed to be no reaction on her part, so I kept going.

Ever so slowly, I trailed my finger tips in circles across her palm, using no particular pattern. I uncurled my hand and stretched each finger to match hers, going deliberately slow.

Next, I slid my fingertips up her palm and the underside of her arm, which was currently face-up. I didn't see them, but I felt the goosebumps rising up in the wake of my fingertips, making a smile appear on my face.

When I got to the crease of her elbow, I began going back down and retracing the path that my fingertips just made.

I was almost down to her palm again when I heard her pencil drop and she grabbed my wrist, stopping my movements.

"Edward, you need to stop." She whispered, looking at me.

"Why?"

"Because, I've read the same sentence over again fifteen times." She said, gesturing toward her textbook.

I merely smirked in response, and was about to comply with her request when a thought struck my mind.

"I will stop on one condition." I said, piquing her interest, causing her to raise on eyebrow.

"That you go out to dinner with me tonight." I said, letting my fingertips slide up her arm again, just to prove my point.

"Are you blackmailing me into a date?" She asked with a smile tugging at her lips.

"Maybe, maybe not." I replied leaning back in my chair, trying to act nonchalantly, yet inwardly really hoping she says yes.

"Hmmm…alright I'll go." She said, humor in her eyes.

I smiled, doing a happy dance in my head.

The bell rang, rousing us from our own separate world. I grabbed her bag for her and walked her to her car. Even going as far as to open her door for her.

I leaned in through the open window and said, "I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Sounds good." She replied smiling.

I couldn't resist any longer, so I leaned in and gave her a brief but passionate kiss. I noticed her cheeks had a slight shade of pink to them when I pulled away.

I was still smiling as I watched her Maserati leave the parking lot.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I was sitting on my couch at home, hours before Edward was scheduled to pick me up, when my phone rang.

Looking at the caller I.D, I picked it up, "Hey Alice"

"Don't 'Hey Alice' me; you failed to mention that you had a date tonight." She said accusingly.

_Whoops_

"Sorry Alice, I-" I started.

"Forget it; just tell me what you're wearing." She said, losing her accusing tone and picking up an excited one.

"Ummm…I don't know yet, but he's not going to be here for two hours, so I've got plenty of time to decide." I said, switching the phone to my other ear.

"Two hours! And you haven't started getting ready! Never mind, I'm coming over, I'll be there in a few minutes." She said, hanging up the phone with a 'click'.

True to her word, five minutes later I heard Alice knocking on my front door.

I double checked to make sure that anything I didn't want her to see was not in view.

I opened up the door and let Alice in, grimacing at the sight of the bag labeled 'makeup'.

"Is this really necessary Alice, I could have easily have gotten ready on my own." I said, not wanting to play Bella Barbie for the next hour.

"Yes, it is." She said, ushering me up the stairs.

We made our way to my room, where she dumped the bag on my bed and went straight to my closet. I watched in humor as she dug through my clothes and chucked the ones she didn't like over her shoulder.

"Didn't we buy you a dress the last time we went to the mall, other then the one for the dance?" She asked, digging further.

"Oh, here it is." She said, turning around and tossing me the dark blue, knee-length dress, that I briefly remember buying a few weeks ago.

"Go put that on and then we need to fix your hair." She said, eyeing my hair, which was in a simple ponytail.

I followed her orders and went and got changed. Upon returning to the room, she started applying makeup.

I knew that struggling would just prolong the experience; so I just shut my eyes and let her do her work.

Fifteen minutes later she said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes and was pleasantly surprised at my reflection. She had added blue eye shadow and smoky eyeliner. I also had on a light coat of blush and a layer of shiny pink lip gloss on my lips.

I gotta say, Alice definitely did good when it came to makeup.

Before I could even get out a word of thanks, she started on my hair.

I was starting to fidget when she finally finished adding soft curls and pulling some of them back into a clip.

"Just one last touch." She said, thought I think she was more talking to herself.

She rummaged in her bag and handed me a necklace with a blue pendant on it. It was the exact color of the dress, making me think she planned this.

I got up and stood in front of my full length mirror, examining the dress from all angles. I couldn't help but smile.

"See, you should listen to me more often." Alice said watching me with a smug smile on her face.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" She said, making me turn around in confusion.

I grimaced as I came face to face with a pair of stilettos.

Alice narrowed her eyes at me when she saw my grimace. I shook my head in protest and narrowed my own eyes.

Our silent argument went on for a while, until I finally caved and took the shoes from her with a huff, she brightened immediately and started packing up her stuff. I slipped into the deathtraps with another grimace.

I was leading Alice to the door when I asked, "Do you know where he's taking me tonight?"

"Yes, but it's supposed to be a surprise for you." She told me with a smirk.

'_Damn, I hate surprises. They never end well for me.'_

"Anyways, thanks again Alice." I told her as she left, leaving me in solitude for Edward to arrive.

I decided that I better wait for him sitting down; it would not be good for me to break an ankle before the date. I wanted to take the damn shoes off, but I knew that if I did that that I would never be able to convince myself to put them back on later.

Fifteen or so minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

The second Bella opened the door, my mouth went dry.

She looked beautiful, stunning, spectacular, gorgeous and dazzling all at the same time.

"You look absolutely breathtaking Bella." I told her, she blushed from the compliment, and it only made her look more attractive to me.

Her dress was a midnight blue, knee length, halter top; it seemed to make her skin glow. My gaze traveled to her slender legs, and I had to hold back a groan. The shoes she was wearing made her legs look even longer and sensual then usual.

I took in her entire appearance in just a few seconds, but I don't think I would be able to get the picture out my mind, even if I wanted to.

In my ogling I completely forgot about the flower I had brought her. Mentally smacking myself on the forehead, I produced the dark red rose that I had snagged from my garden before coming over here.

The flower brought about a whole new round of blushes from her, making me smile.

"It's beautiful Edward, thank you." She said twirling it in-between her fingers.

"It reminds me of you actually." I said, making Bella roll her eyes and jokingly push me.

"Corny much?" She said, cracking a smile

"Only with you." I joked, offering her my hand and leading her to the car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We were almost at the restaurant, after a half hour of Bella pleading for me to tell her where we were going.

I didn't tell her because I was hoping that she would be pleasantly surprised when she saw where we were going.

I had called in a reservation this afternoon for the two of us at the nicest restaurant in Port Angeles.

It was so exquisite that you usually had to make reservations a week in advance. But let's just say I have connections, with my dad being who he is.

We pulled up and I saw Bella's jaw drop.

I got out and came around to her side, opening her door and taking her hand in mine.

I handed the keys to the valet, wrapping my arm around Bella's waist when the valet stared at her a little too long for my liking.

Bella finally seemed to get over her shock and said, "This place is way too expensive, you didn't have to take me here."

"Nonsense, I want to." I told her, placing my hand on the small of her back and leading her into the restaurant.

A small shiver went through me at the electricity that seemed to go through me when I touched her bare back.

I shook my head to loose some of the cloudiness and went up to the hostess.

"I have a reservation under 'Cullen'" I told her.

Her eyes widened at the name and she batted her eyelashes at me. It was well known that the name 'Cullen' was usually associated with large sums of money.

I had to hold back the grimace that wanted to appear, when she smiled in a way that I'm sure was attractive in her mind.

'_Please just show us to our table already.'_

I was saved by Bella, when she came up and took my hand in hers, sending a not so subtle glare towards the hostess.

I repressed the smile that came up at the thought of Bella being jealous. She had no reason to be, that girl had nothing on her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I can't believe Edward decided to take me to the nicest restaurant in Port Angeles. I didn't like people spending money on me or giving me something.

For an agent, it usually means you owe them something back, which could be deadly. I learned to not accept anything free, because chances are, it isn't.

However, there seemed to be nothing I could do about it now, because we were heading for our table.

The restaurant seemed to be very exclusive, because there were a limited number of tables. They were spread out from one another, to give the effect of privacy.

There were candles everywhere, illuminating the room in a soft glow. My eyes widened even further when I spotted the man-made river flowing through the center of the room, the sound of flowing water adding to the calm effect.

I was definitely impressed, and I didn't even want to know how much the bill was going to be at the end of the night.

I sat in my chair and accepted the menu from the waiter who was assigned to our table.

Looking over my menu, I noticed, not for the first time this night, how good Edward looked. He was a wearing a dark green button up shirt that accented his eyes, along with a pair of nice black pants.

He looked, for lack of a better word, perfect; I was starting to wonder if Alice helped him out too. The only thing out of order was his hair, which was in its usual disarray, making me crack a small smile.

I decided on a pasta dish that looked good, not even glancing at the price, because I really didn't want to know.

We ordered our food and were waiting for our drinks to arrive, when Edward picked up the conversation.

"So, have you thought about what you want to do after high school, or what you want to study in college?" He asked, taking a sip of the water that had just arrived

I mentally sighed, I had a feeling that I would be doing a lot of lying tonight. "Not really, I may do some traveling. What about you?" I asked

"It's kind of complicated. I don't really have as much choice in the matter as I would like. My dad would probably disown me if I didn't get a business degree so that I could take over the business after he retires." He told me, seeming upset.

I didn't say anything, guessing that there was more to the story and not wanting to interrupt him.

"I have absolutely no say in the matter because I'm officially the heir to the Cullen fortune, even though Alice and I are the same age." He said, taking another swig of water.

'_Well that's definitely interesting.'_ I stored that information away to think about later.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to rant."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll be okay." I told him, reaching across the table and grasping his hand, making a small smile show on his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Our conversation continued through the meal. We focused mainly on topics about school and whatnot, but didn't return to the topic of discussing what we were doing after high school.

Halfway through my pasta, I started to feel a prickling on the back of my neck, making my hairs stand up.

You know that feeling when you just know that you're being watched.

That's what I felt at that moment, only a hundred times stronger.

I pulled a pocket mirror out of my purse and pretended to fix my makeup, when actually I was using it to look behind me without being too obvious.

I saw a few tables behind us and studied who was sitting at each; taking in their body posture and actions.

There was another couple eating their dinner, they didn't look the type. I shifted my gaze to guy sitting at the table a few feet away from him.

This would have been my guess for the person who was scouting. He was in a cheap suit, had tense body posture and was sweating exceedingly.

I was sure that he was the one, until I caught a woman out of the corner of my eye in the mirror.

No one stares that intently at a menu.

I don't know how I knew, but I did.

I snapped the mirror closed with a 'click' and returned to the conversation with Edward.

I gave brief answers to his questions, my mind kept on drifting to the woman sitting at that table.

I felt her staring every few minutes, and had to restrain from turning around and looking at her.

I seriously doubted that she would make a move out in the open; so for the moment, Edward was safe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Edward was paying for the bill, when I decided that I had no choice but to deal with the other woman.

I got up and stretched lazily, "Edward, I'm going to go to the bathroom before we go." I said a little louder then necessary, letting my voice carry. She would have to be an idiot to not have heard me.

"Alright, I'm going to wait for my change and then I'll get the car and meet you outside." He said smiling.

I started walking in the direction of the bathroom, watching her out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't help but smirk when she got up discreetly and followed me from a small distance.

If my guess was correct, and they usually are, she was following me so that she could effectively 'deal with me', so I wouldn't get in the way when she went after Edward.

I had no idea if she actually knew my background, but I doubted it.

She was going to be in for quite the surprise.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I breathed out a sigh of relief as I walked in, realizing that no one else was in the bathroom at the time.

I knew I had no preparation time; she was bound to be only a few seconds behind me. So I opted for pretending to wash my hands; waiting nonchalantly.

She walked in like I expected, a few seconds later.

I got my confirmation right away that she was the one, when she locked the main entrance to the bathroom and turned around to watch me.

I stopped washing my hands and grabbed a paper towel, my back to her.

"Are you Isabella?" She asked taking a few steps closer to me; obviously wanting to confirm that I was the one she was supposed to be killing.

"Depends on who's asking?" Was my reply, as I continued to face the paper towel dispenser, throwing away the one in my hand.

"That's good enough for me." She said, lunging for me.

I expected this from her and planned for it; she obviously didn't expect to come in contact with the elbow I jabbed out at the last second, knocking the wind out of her momentarily.

I turned around just in time to block punch she threw my way. I should have been paying more attention to her legs, because her next move was to affectively knee me in the gut, making me double- over in pain.

'_Well someone's obviously had some training'_

I quickly picked myself up and dodged another blow from her.

After quiet a few tries and getting few hits on the receiving end, my fist finally managed to make contact with her jaw, making her stumble back a few steps.

She was now officially furious. Apparently I wasn't going down as easily as she initially expected.

I thought I was doing okay, and could probably end the fight with a few more good punches…until she flipped open a switchblade.

'_Uh oh'_

She came at me quickly and I had to dodge, jump back and lean away from the blade that was slicing through the air with multiple 'swishes'.

'_Crazy bitch'_

The trick was to control the knife hand. So as she was pulling her hand back to send it flying towards me again, I ducked to the side and grabbed her wrist, effectively stopping the blade a few inches from my skin.

I used a lot of strength to direct her hand away from either of us, until I had her hand far above both our heads and out of harms way.

Before she could react, I jammed the heel of my hand into her nose; hearing the 'crack' as I effectively broke it; and stomped my stiletto heel into her foot.

She was still relentless and used her other hand to punch me in the stomach.

I bit back a groan, I was now officially pissed.

Bathrooms are always the best place for hand to hand combat fights.

Lots of hard surfaces.

I gripped the back of her neck and slammed her forehead down on one of the sink corners, making her drop to the floor.

She didn't go unconscious, but it was effective enough to make her drop the knife; which I immediately picked up.

She was lying on her back on the floor barely conscious, but now sporting a large gash on her forehead.

I placed my stiletto on her chest and leaned over her. I was starting to like these shoes.

"Who do you work for?" I asked fiercely, pointing the knife at her.

"I'm no traitor." She spit halfheartedly, a little bit of blood dripping from her mouth.

"They'll kill you anyways, regardless of whether you tell me." I told her, but she had already fallen into unconsciousness.

I sighed and pulled out my phone.

After a few rings she picked up, "Hello?"

"Hey Casey, I could use your help." I said, eyeing the unconscious girl on the floor.

"Just tell me what you need." She said dutifully.

I told her what happened and gave her instructions on how she could help. I couldn't just have someone walking in here and finding her like this.

I dragged her over to the farthest stall from the door and stuck her inside. Casey was going to be here soon to get her; maybe we could get some information out of her once she regained consciousness.

I inspected my appearance in the mirror quickly, breathing out a sigh of relief when I noticed that most of the injuries seemed to have avoided my face.

I would definitely have a few nasty bruises on my stomach tomorrow, but I dealt most of the damage in the fight.

I had been in here for almost ten minutes, so I readjusted my dress and walked out of the bathroom like nothing ever happened.

I walked out of the restaurant in search of Edward. I saw him waiting by the valet station for his car.

I wasn't sure if the girl from the bathroom had backup, but I would rather be safe then sorry.

I approached Edward just as the valet was tossing the keys to him.

I jumped forward and caught them out of the air first and said, "I've really wanted to try out your car, do you mind if I drive?" I asked, giving him a peck on the lips.

"Sure, go for it." He said in a slight daze, now sporting a huge smile on his face.

I couldn't help but return it, it was contagious. I was already starting to feel better from just being in Edward's presence. He had that sort of effect on me.

"Thanks" I said, and just because I couldn't help it I kissed him again, but this time it wasn't as short.

We climbed into the car and I readjusted the seat and the rear view mirror.

I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the busy downtown street, scanning my surroundings continuously.

It wasn't until after a few turns that I finally started to notice it.

A car that was a few behind me either happened to be going the exact same direction as me. Or they were tailing me.

'_Only one way to find out'_

Figuring out whether someone is tailing you, pretty much involves driving like an idiot.

You signal one way and turn another. Brake at odd times. Accelerate randomly. The only trick was to not get pulled over for drunk driving, because that's pretty much what it looks like to an outsider.

I got my answer fairly soon when the car had no choice but to be directly behind me. It was a single guy driving, wearing a dark suit and sunglasses. Normal people don't wear sunglasses at night.

I got to a stop light at a four-way intersection and signaled left, watching in my rear view mirror as he did the same.

I turned right and smiled as I watched his signals quickly switch and he followed me to the right.

"I think home is the other way." Edward said, reminding me that he was in the car.

"Yeah I know, I just want to make the drive longer so that I can spend more time with you." I said, for once not lying. I did actually want to spend more time with him; I just had to lose the idiot behind me first.

The key to actually losing a tail is to do something that the other car can't.

I pulled onto the highway and started heading home, trying to think of a plan that would work.

My exit was rapidly coming up and I was still in the middle lane, but I finally thought of something.

"I think we want the next exit." Edward reminded.

"Oh my bad, you may want to hold on tight then." I said, checking to make sure that my own seatbelt was fastened.

My plan was all about timing, I only had a small gap to do it.

I checked my mirror one last time to make sure that he was still behind me, then quickly merged across three lanes at once and exiting the freeway at the right exit, and earning numerous honks from other drivers.

I smiled in triumph at losing the guy tailing me; there is no way in hell he managed to react in time to take that same exit.

I was reminded of Edwards presence again when he said, "I think I'll drive next time." I laughed and looked over at his wide eyed expression.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Okay, so there was a little more action in this chapter then the last one. I even threw in a fight scene for you guys, let me know if you liked it.**

**Just wanted to remind you guys that you are awesome! I got no bad reviews for the last chapter, which really made me smile. **

**Like last time, I will answer any questions that you have (Unless they are about future chapters!). However, if you ask a question in an anonymous review, it's not possible for me to answer it! I'm not just ignoring you, trust me.**

**Good reviews make me smile, and I'm more likely to write better chapters when I'm smiling. So all you have to do is click that pretty green button right there. :P**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

I woke up early on Saturday morning, still completely exhausted, trying to shake the images from my nightmare from my mind.

I stretched my body out along my bed and grimaced in pain. I looked down at the part of my stomach were my shirt had ridden up and noticed a large, dark bruise.

'_Damn'_

Images of last night's fight came rushing back as I touched the bruise tenderly with my fingertips. I had gotten bruises much worse, but this one still hurt nonetheless.

She had gotten a few good punches in to my stomach; I was just thankful that I managed to block anything that was coming for my face. It definitely would have been a lot harder to cover up.

I stood up carefully, wincing at the pain and stumbled my way to the bathroom.

There, I downed a couple of advil and got ready for the day.

I glanced outside and noticed that it was actually a fairly nice day out. So I opted for wearing a brown, knee-length skirt and a green jacket.

I think Alice was starting to rub off on me.

The pain from my bruise was starting to go away and now I was able to walk down the stairs without injuring myself further.

I made some coffee to make up for the lack of sleep, nearly spilling it in the process.

Every once in a while I would get nightmares that came straight from my memories.

They came whenever I was the most stressed out and usually lasted for about 5 or 6 days. I did the math in my head and figured that I was nearing the end of it thankfully, a day or two left at the most. I definitely needed sleep.

Memories of my parents and past missions would fill my mind at night; often making me wake up in a cold sweat.

I shook my head again, trying to get rid of the images that were often filled with pain that I had no intention of remembering.

To distract myself, I flipped on the TV and watched the news.

After five minutes my eyes were starting to droop so I got up and grabbed another cup of coffee; hoping to get an advantage on my exhausted state.

I was about to take a sip when my phone started ringing.

I grumbled to myself and went back to the living room to pick it up.

"Hello?" I asked irritably and groggily.

"Well don't you sound cheery this afternoon." Came the joking tone of Edward's voice, automatically making a smile creep onto my face.

"Sorry about that." I yawned, looking outside only to realize that he was correct in the fact that it was the afternoon.

My mind was already growing calmer by just the sound of his voice. The images that I had spent the better half of the morning trying to push back, were finally starting to fade away.

"Is it alright for me to say that I already miss you, even though I just saw you last night?" He asked, making my smile grow even bigger then before.

"Because, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me at the mall?" He continued, a little bit of hope detectable in his voice.

"I'd love to." I answered without hesitation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

"Great, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I said hurriedly, anxious to hang up the phone so I could get over there sooner.

I was at the point where I would rather spend all my time with her, then anywhere else.

I grabbed my keys and ran out the door, throwing my jacket on in the process.

I passed Alice as she was getting out of her car.

"Off to see Bella?" She asked with a laugh.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked as I unlocked my car.

"Pretty much, yeah. You only ever have a smile like that on your face when you're either about to see her, or just did; and I'm pretty sure she didn't spend the night at our house." Alice asked with a smirk eyeing me.

I ignored her by jumping in my car and backing out of the driveway.

Ten minutes later I parked my car in front of her house. I checked my hair in the mirror quickly, trying to get it out of its normal disarray, but gave up quickly.

I bounded up her front steps and knocked on the door.

I was about to knock again in impatience to see her, when the door swung open. I still hadn't gotten used to the effect she had on me; I had to remember to breathe whenever I saw her.

The smile that was prominent on my face faded when I saw the deep bruises under her eyes from obvious lack of sleep.

She noticed the sad look on my face and said, "What? Is something wrong?"

I reached out and stroked beneath her eye with my thumb.

She knocked my hand away nonchalantly, "It's nothing, I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Are you sure? Maybe we shouldn't have stayed out so late last night-" I was cut off by the only thing that could have stopped me.

Her kissing me.

I was slightly lightheaded when we broke apart, and I had a goofy grin on my face.

"Your concern is appreciated, but not necessary." She said grabbing my arm and tugging me in the direction of my car.

I shook my head to try to clear my thoughts; but failed as the only thing on my mind was the feel of her lips.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I was touched that Edward was so concerned about me.

I can't remember anyone in my life that has actually cared.

My lips were still tingling from the electricity that seemed to ignite whenever he touched me.

We made our way to the mall in good time; and we got there before the lunch crowd.

He parked the car and came around to open my own door for me.

I rolled my eyes at the act of chivalry, making him chuckle.

He grabbed my hand and led me towards the café where we were going to eat.

We passed a few guys going the other way; I grimaced when their eyes raked my body, making me regret wearing a skirt for a moment.

I heard Edward growl from beside me and he wrapped his arm around my waist possessively.

I smirked, but felt instantly better nonetheless. "Am I detecting a little bit of jealousy?" I taunted.

He still had a fierce look on his face when he said, "I don't like the way they were looking at you."

Instead of antagonizing him further, I played with the silver watch on my wrist.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We had just finished our meal; Edward and I had spent the last hour talking about whatever topics would come across our mind.

Edward laid down a tip and we both stood up; I grabbed my jacket and put it back on.

"Samantha? Is that you?" I froze and looked up.

'_Oh shit.'_

A few years ago I had a mission in Oregon; my job was to go undercover and take out the head of an arms dealing business.

My undercover name was Samantha; and the twenty-something year old man walking towards me was the son of the man I had to kill.

I got away clean on that mission; they still don't know that it was me. I had dyed my hair and used an accent, but I never expected to see anyone from any of my old missions.

This was not good.

I did the only thing I could think of. Ignored him. You don't respond to someone calling out a name that isn't yours.

"Wait! Samantha!" He said, rushing over to me and grabbing my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, my name isn't Samantha." I said, grabbing Edward's hand and heading for the door.

He caught up to me and said, "Are you sure I don't know you? Because you look exactly like this girl I used to know."

Edward obviously didn't like this guy, because he said, "Listen; her name is Bella. And she already said she doesn't know you."

He wrapped his arm around me protectively for the second time that day, and I was thankful for him being there. My skin was already tingling from where his fingers were touching my hip.

The guy gave me one last good look but the expression on Edward's face must have persuaded him to let it go, because he apologized unsurely and let us leave, glancing back over his shoulder one last time.

I let out a large breath once we were outside.

'_What are the chances of that happening?'_

I glanced at Edward to see if I could figure out what he was thinking, but he seemed to think nothing of it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The ride back was fairly uneventful. I was busy thinking about how close that call was back at the restaurant. If he had known that I was the one that killed his father, I doubt that he would have let me go so easily.

Edward seemed to realize that I was deep in thought and left me to it.

I was starting to give myself a headache, plus the bruise on my stomach was starting to hurt again. I would definitely have to take some more advil soon.

He pulled up next to my house, but I didn't want to get out.

He seemed to be just as reluctant to leave, because he said, "Do you want to come over to my house tonight? We can watch some movies or something. You seem too stressed out lately."

It didn't take me long to decide. I agreed to meet him at his house around seven so we could spend most of the night watching movies.

I was hoping that maybe if I stayed up long enough, I would be so exhausted that not even nightmares could keep sleep at bay.

After a chaste kiss, which left me wanting more, I got out of the car and headed inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I still had plenty of time before I would need to get ready to head over there; besides, there was something I needed to do.

I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my contacts list, hitting send when I got to Casey's name.

"Agent Swan." She greeted.

"Hey, I was just wondering how our guest is doing, ever since last night?" I asked, referring to the crazy bitch that attacked me in the women's bathroom on my date last night.

I had knocked her unconscious and had Casey pick her up so that we could hopefully get some information out of her.

"Quiet, but that's to be expected." Then she laughed, "You really did a number on her, she didn't wake up until a few hours after I brought her over here."

'_Well, it's a good thing she woke up. It's a lot harder to get information out of someone once their dead.'_

"Maybe you can drive up here. She's bound to break faster with you as an interrogator." She said truthfully.

I hesitated for a second. "Not tonight. I have something else to do."

"Alright, but I could really use your help at some point." She said.

"Don't worry; I'll be sure to get up there soon." I ended the call with a 'click' and put it back in my pocket.

I wasn't sure what kind of techniques Casey used for extracting information; so I would have to make sure I got up there to make sure that there were no 'accidents', where the person being interrogated ends up dead.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About a half-hour before I would finally get to leave, I went upstairs to fix my makeup.

That thought alone made me shake my head in disbelief.

'_What has Alice done to me?'_

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't cover up the deep shadows under my eyes.

I sighed and gave up. I was fairly new to makeup; I think it's going to take a lot more practice before I get as good as Alice.

I was getting better every time though, so the makeup job I did tonight wasn't too bad. Or at least it was as good as I could make it.

I decided to stick with the skirt I had on this afternoon, but changed into a nicer top.

I was eager to leave, and grabbed my keys off the counter.

I took a moment, once inside my car, to revel in the familiarity. This would be the first time driving it since I replaced the parts.

While I did like Edward's Volvo, there was something about my Maserati that made me feel more comfortable. Maybe it was the fact that it could go from 0-100 km/hr in 5 seconds, or the bullet-proof windows, or the fact that it was just a really nice car; either way, I was happy to be driving it again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

"Shouldn't you be going Alice?" I asked her unhappily. I knew she was just doing this to make me angry.

"I thought I might stick around a bit." She said, openly aggravating me.

I narrowed my eyes at her. Bella was going to arrive soon and I didn't want Alice around to embarrass me in front of her.

She snickered, but got my point. "I'm probably just going to spend the night at Jasper's, because chances are it will be too late to drive home."

She grabbed her keys and her purse and I led her to the front door.

"Hold on a sec, I can't leave with your hair like that." She said putting her purse down again.

Because of her height, she had to go up on the tips of her toes to reach the top of my head; where she futilely tried to get my hair to behave.

"Okay, Alice you need to stop, and you need to go." I told her, picking up her purse and putting it back in her hands.

I opened the door again and ushered her outside.

"Fine, but when I get back I'm going to get you some hairspray or jell or something to keep your hair in order. Because that's really going to bug me for the rest of the night."

I'm sure she would have kept going if I hadn't said, "Goodbye Alice." And closed the door.

As much as I disliked Alice messing with my hair, her comment made me worry; and I immediately ran over to the closest mirror and attempted to tame some of the unruly parts.

The door bell rang and I rushed to the door, wrenching it open with a smile, only to be met with laughter.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." Alice got out between laughs. I growled at her and shut the door again, returning to the mirror in slight embarrassment.

I was making myself extremely nervous, and if I didn't stop soon I would be in a frenzy by the time Bella arrived.

I looked in the mirror one last time, making sure that I had all the buttons done correctly on my green, button-up shirt.

Alice had told me once that green was my best color, and that it made my eyes stand out.

I had never taken that advice before I met Bella, but now I seemed to be finding myself in green shirts all the time around her.

I was straightening out imaginary wrinkles on my shirt when the door bell rang.

I went slower this time, just in case it was Alice again.

Instead of my pixie of a sister, I was met with stunning sight of Bella.

After a few seconds of ogling, I let her inside and closed the door behind her.

"You look beautiful Bella." I told her; even though that was the largest understatement I could have possibly said.

She walked in front of me and I almost groaned when I realized she was wearing a skirt, showing off her long legs, and torturing me.

I was knocked out of my thoughts when she started speaking, "I really like that color green on you.."

'_Note to Self : Listen to Alice more often'_

"Thank you." I managed to croak out, still in a slight daze.

I mentally slapped myself on the forehead.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her, finally managing to get a hold of myself.

"Famished. What are we having?" She asked, already heading towards the kitchen.

I chuckled and followed her in.

"I thought I might make some pasta for the two of us." I told her, receiving a smile.

"That sounds great." She said and started heading for where the pots were so that she could help.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her back, "Nuh-uh, you're the guest here. That means that I do the work and you just get to enjoy the meal." I told her, holding back a chuckle at the look on her face.

She narrowed her eyes playfully at me and said, "Fine." Before hoisting herself up to sit on top of the marble countertops, and crossing one leg over the other just to taunt me.

I repressed the groan that wanted to escape and got started on making the dinner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We ate dinner pretty quickly and led her upstairs to pick out a movie.

Frankly I didn't care what she picked; I knew I wouldn't watch it anyways, especially with her next to me.

She put in the movie and we both went and sat on my bed. I think it was an action movie of some sort.

I hit the lights and letting the glow from the flat screen TV on my wall illuminate the room.

We were both leaning against my bed's headboard, with pillows at our backs.

I had spent about an hour cleaning my room this afternoon. Alice had come in a few times to laugh at me.

I was very conscious of her next to me, like the entire room was sizzling with electricity.

I fake yawned and stretched my arm out behind her head, wrapping it around her shoulder. It was a very 'movie moment'.

I held my breath, but when she didn't pull my arm away, I relaxed. Instead she nestled further into the crook of my arm and placed her head on my shoulder. I sighed contentedly.

I turned my attention to the movie and started watching it, occasionally making comments. To which Bella would either laugh or give a comment of her own.

The movie was three quarters of the way through when I asked her a question about the main character.

Only to receive no response.

Confused, I glanced down at her; only to discover that she was fast asleep.

My mind panicked for a second, trying to figure out what to do. She was supposed to drive home after the movie was over, but that obviously wasn't happening. I could easily drive her, but after glancing down at her sleeping form, I hesitated.

She still had those shadows under her eyes from this morning from lack of sleep; I was not about to deprive her of any more.

So instead of waking her up, I carefully switched the movie off. I couldn't stop my fingers from tracing her cheeks, eliciting a small sigh from her.

My own eyes were starting to droop, so I wrapped the covers around the both of us and sank into deep dreams.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I woke up with the sun in my eyes.

I opened them up and found myself facing a strange sight.

'_Strange. This isn't my room, this is Edward's room…I must still be dreaming…'_

That thought alone was enough to wake me up a little more, there is no way I actually got to sleep, let alone dreamed.

I stretched my arms our and came in contact with something hard.

I whipped my head around and almost came in contact with Edward's. That's when memories from last night came flooding back to me.

'_Nope. Definitely not dreaming. I must have fallen asleep during the movie.'_

I turned my head back around and his arm was wrapped around me, pressing my back to his chest.

I had to stop myself from sighing and succumbing to sleep once again.

Just because I couldn't let myself go back to sleep, didn't mean I couldn't just stay where I was while I waited for him to wake up.

I let my eyes roam around his room, which was now illuminated by the light that was streaming in through his window.

It was while looking at the large tree outside is window, that I saw it.

I squinted my eyes just to make sure they weren't playing tricks on me.

Nope, there was definitely something shiny and electronic in that tree; and I'm pretty sure Edward didn't put it there. My best guess was that it was a camera or a sonar recorder of some sort

I bit back groan, _'These people really need to get hobbies'_

I would need to check that out later. I couldn't do it right now for a few reasons:

One, whoever put it there would now I knew about it.

Two, I was far too comfortably right now to move.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Edward finally woke up about a half-hour later.

His body seemed to freeze when he realized that he was holding me; he was obviously unsure whether I was awake or not, because my face was not visible to him.

"Morning." I whispered softly, sensing his arms relax around me.

"Good morning." He said, slightly nervously with a hint of bewilderment thrown in.

I turned my body around so that I could face him, and gave him a peck on the lips, immediately gaining a smile from him.

He didn't seem to be satisfied by the brief kiss though because his lips instantly sought mine out and gave me a kiss that left me slightly breathless and lightheaded.

"How did you sleep?" He asked.

"Perfectly." I told him, nestling into him little more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, Edward suggested making breakfast and headed to the kitchen.

This opportunity was just as good as any and I told him that I wanted to put something in my car outside.

Instead, I made my way over to the tree outside his window.

The first branch was a little tall for me, so I had to take running start before hoisting myself up and continued climbing.

Once I was adjacent with his window I found what I was looking for.

Someone had hidden a sonar recorder in the branches. It was pure luck that I spotted it, making me wonder if I had missed any others elsewhere.

It was used to pick up the sounds coming from this side of the house; both Mr. Cullen's office and Edward's bedroom. It worked specifically for long distances, so there was no need for them to worry about picking up random bird noises.

It records the sounds and sends them back to whoever installed it.

Every conversation that has been in those two rooms has been recorded by this.

'_Good thing I didn't make any phone calls in there.'_

That would have been bad.

Rather then just destroying it, I had a better plan.

I pulled out one of my knives and set to work on opening up the back of the recorder.

Once that was done I removed the heavy duty batteries and put them in my pocket.

More spies get caught replacing batteries or fixing something broken, then doing anything else.

As far as they know, the batteries died and they need to send one of their operatives out to replace them.

Giving me a good opportunity to add to my list of people to question.

I had already been gone far too long and quickly made my way down the tree and ran back inside the house.

I ate breakfast with Edward and headed home soon after that. Neither of us wanted me to go, but it was either that of have Alice come home and find me here wearing the same clothes as last night.

We figured that the first option was safer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I spent the rest of the hours of daylight doing random chores around the house, occasionally texting Edward or Alice.

By the time darkness rolled around I was ready to go.

Instead of my usual array of weapons. I decided to take a tazer, a few more knives and added a silencer to my gun.

Once I was all set I made my way back to Edward's house, moving through the shadows like the professional I was.

I climbed the tree again, but climbed a little higher then last time, so I was now looking down upon the sonar recorder.

Even if Edward were to look out the window, there was no way he could see me in the darkness.

I knew that they would be coming sometime tonight; because it was easier to go undetected and because I'm pretty sure they really needed their recorder up and running again.

I sat down on a thick branch and leaned against the trunk of the tree.

'_And now I wait.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Alright, so you guys asked for a little more Edward and Bella parts, so there you go. Sorry for the lack of spy action in this chapter, I promise to have more in the next one.**

**Let me know what parts of this story you like the best so that I know what to write more of. I love getting ideas for things to use in chapters; I have already used a few in this story that were suggested by readers. Who knows, you might see your suggestion in the next chapter.**

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**Just remember ~Pushing the green button below makes me smile! :P**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

One of the greatest talents that a spy can have, is patience.

In order to be the best, you have to be able to stay put and wait no matter how long it takes for the action to start.

At least, this is what I kept telling myself as I sat there on that tree branch. It was an exceptionally dark night; with the clouds blocking out the light of the moon.

Granted, I had been sitting there for a few hours, so my eyes had adjusted pretty well by now.

I let out a sigh quietly to myself; I had to keep reminding myself to stay alert. Because the second I let my mind wander, would be the second that my night could get a lot more exciting.

I leaned back against the tree's trunk, pulling out my dagger in the process.

I started cleaning underneath my fingernails with the tip of the blade when I heard it.

I immediately stopped what I was doing and looked over the side of the branch I was sitting on.

I couldn't hold back the smile that stretched across my face when I discovered that my plan had indeed worked.

The man that was climbing up the branches was clearly trained and in shape. It didn't take him long to make it up to the branch containing the sonar recorder.

I figured that my best bet would be to take him by surprise. He was obviously much bigger then me in size and it would make it much harder for me to win the fight if I didn't have surprise on my side.

He had just finished putting the new batteries in and was starting to head back down.

I followed him down as quietly as possible, always staying one branch above.

I jumped (literally) into action once he made it down to the ground.

I let myself drop down from the lowest branch feet first and landed with a 'thud' right behind him.

He whipped around in surprise, his eyes going wide with shock.

I didn't give him much time to think though as my fist came in contact with his jaw, causing him to stumble backwards a step.

His expression changed from surprised, to murderous and he lunged for me.

I blocked his punches with my own arms, straining against the force behind them.

I swung out my foot in a high kick at the same time as blocking his fist from coming in contact with my face.

He was concentrating on his punch too much, because he didn't realize until it was too late that my foot was about to come in contact with his gut.

He stumbled backwards for the second time with a grunt. He seemed to be even more infuriated now; I didn't blame him, I gave one hell of a kick.

His fury seemed to fuel him and it only took a second for him to come flying back at me in full force.

My eyes widened briefly, _'uh oh'_

Instead of responding to the natural human reaction of running away, I faced him head on.

I shifted to the side at the last moment, watching as his fist went flying past my face, missing by only a few centimeters.

I saw it in almost slow motion as a latched both arms onto his already extended one and pulled.

I used his own momentum to send him flying forward, flipping onto the ground, and making him land on his back.

I whipped out my taser, and lunged for his shoulder with it. He rolled to the side at the last second, making me narrowly miss him.

I was about to try and get him a second time when he rolled back over and grabbed onto my leg, latching on with both hands.

'_shit'_

It's common knowledge to those with training that if you use a taser on someone that is touching you, you get the same fifty thousand volts as they do.

I didn't feel like having that much electricity running through my body at the moment, so I used the heel of my other boot and kicked his stomach, knocking the breath out of him.

His hands automatically lost their grip on my leg and went to cover his stomach; giving me the split second opportunity to hold the taser to his neck and flip the switch.

His body shook for a second before becoming completely still, his eyes still wide open.

Tasers were a good tool to use; they very effectively mess up your control of your voluntary skeletal muscles, but completely leave your cardiac muscles alone.

It leaves the person unable to move, but still alive and breathing for later questioning.

I looked down at the man, slightly out of breath. "See, this is why you should never let your emotions control your actions. It will only lead to trouble." I told him quietly, barely above a whisper, nudging him with my shoe.

I sighed and put my taser away. I grabbed a hold of both of his legs and began to drag him towards where I had hidden my car a few hours ago.

I had to rest a few times, this guy was heavy.

By the time I made it back to my car; I was out of breath and he had grass and sticks in his hair from being dragged.

I unlocked my car and popped the trunk, grabbing the rope that I had brought along. I tied his wrists behind his back and bound his legs together.

It took me a few tries, but eventually I got him in the trunk and closed the lid.

I was about to get in my car when I remembered something. I slapped my forehead in ignorance, and ran back over to the tree to grab the device.

I took out the fresh batteries that he had just put in and placed the device in my pocket.

Going over a mental checklist in my head to make sure I didn't forget anything else, I hopped in my car and started driving.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I turned on the radio and san along to the songs as I made my way to Port Angeles.

For once I opted for going the speed limit. I laughed at the thought of having to explain an unconscious man shoved into the trunk of my car, if the police were to pull me over.

I turned on my phone and called Casey.

"Hello?" she answered groggily, making me glance at the clock to see that is was indeed, very early in the morning.

"Hey, it's me. Sorry about waking you up, but this can't wait." I said, turning the music down a notch.

"Alright, I'm up. What do you need?" She said, her voice laced with less sleep then before.

"I managed to snag another one of their operatives; I need to stash this one wherever you put the last one." I told her, subconsciously glancing towards the back of my car.

"No way! This outta be good, where did you get this one?" She asked; fully awake now, anxious to hear my story.

"I'll tell you when I get there; send me the coordinates and I should be there soon." I told her. I smiled a little bit at her anxious tone.

She agreed and we both hung up. Not fifteen seconds later my phone beeped, alerting me of an incoming message.

I put in the location she sent me to my GPS, letting it tell me where to go.

In no time flat I was pulling up to an abandoned apartment building in Port Angeles.

I parked my car in the street and got out, seeing Casey walk over from the buildings front door and meet me by the trunk.

"The effects of the taser have definitely worn out by now, so be careful." I told her in warning as I opened the trunk

Sure enough, as soon as the trunk was open, the guy was struggling against his bindings and as soon as he saw the two of us started yelling.

"For god's sakes be quiet, no one can hear you anyways." Casey said, pulling out a piece of duct tape and covering his mouth, smothering his cries for help.

I chuckled and checked to make sure that his hands and feet were still bound together.

Together, we managed to carry him inside the abandoned apartment building.

He struggled the entire way, but quit once I brought out my taser and offered to give him another fifty thousand volts.

"Wow, I'm impressed." I told Casey as I took in the inside of the building.

The outside looked like a rundown building but the inside looked more modern.

She smiled at the compliment.

"Where do you think we should put him for now?" I asked her, looking at all the different doors inside.

"Ummm…" She said, looking around. "Why don't we throw him in there." She gestured towards the room to my right.

I nodded and we threw him inside. We left his hands bound, not wanting to have to fight him every time we opened the door.

I inspected the inside and found a mattress on the floor with one window on the opposite wall.

"Don't worry about the window; you'd need a sledgehammer to even make a crack in that thing." She said, I nodded and closed the door behind us.

I watched silently as she bolted the door and locked three locks from the outside, nodding in satisfaction.

"So, how is our other captive?" I asked her; referring to the woman I kicked the crap out of on my date with Edward a few nights ago.

"She's sleeping for the moment. I've got a hidden camera set up in there." I nodded with a yawn. The adrenaline that was running through my body earlier was long gone by now.

"So…" She started, leading my back towards the main room, "You were going to tell me all about how you managed to capture Mr. Muscle over there." She said, jerking her thumb in the direction of his room.

I chuckled at her name for him and started telling her about it. By the time I wrapped up my story, she was full of energy, and I was out of it.

"I'll be back later today to help you question both of them, but for now" I said, another yawn escaping, "I'm going to head home and grab a few hours of sleep."

She nodded sadly; I was immediately reminded of the fact that she was here all alone. I would have died of boredom by now.

"You've done well here. I'm glad that you were picked for my backup." I told her with a small smile, receiving one in return.

With one last wave goodbye I hopped in my Maserati and headed home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

It was about ten o'clock in the afternoon when I woke up. I stretched lazily across my bed, opening my eyes slowly.

I sighed at the sight of the spot next to me coming up empty. The night Bella slept over was the best night of sleep I had ever gotten.

I just saw her yesterday, and already I was missing the comfort of her presence next to me.

I rolled out of bed and went to get breakfast, eyeing the clock, counting down the minutes until it would probably be okay to call her.

I figured I should wait a few hours, make it seem like I wasn't completely desperate to see her.

I managed to wait forty five minutes before I was dialing her number on my phone.

I started to fidget a little bit when it got to the fourth ring and there was still no answer.

I was about to hang up when the ringing stopped and I heard a groggy, "Hello?"

"Hey! Bella!" I started out excitedly, before I smacked myself in the forehead, trying to get over my eagerness, "How are you?" I continued in a more calm and nonchalant manner, clearing my throat awkwardly. I could hear her chuckling on the other end. Apparently my eager demeanor did not go unnoticed.

"I'm fine…how are you?" She said, still laughing at my expense.

"Much better now that I'm talking to you." I said truthfully, no matter how corny it sounded.

"Did that just come to you, or were you totally planning on saying that at some point today?" She asked, the smile obvious in her voice.

"I may have thought about saying it once or twice." I admitted, hoping to hear her laugh again. I wasn't disappointed. Her laughter was like music to my ears and I couldn't stop the smile that crept onto my face.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me today." I asked hopefully.

"What did you have in mind?" She asked

I glanced out the window and said, "Well, it's pretty sunny out, we could go to the pool." The thought of Bella in a bathing suit made my smile grow even larger.

She paused for a few seconds, thinking it over. "I guess we could do that." I pumped my fist in the air in success. "Why don't you come pick me up in forty five minutes, I still have to get ready." She said.

"Sure, no problem." I said, eager to start getting ready.

With a swift goodbye, I hung up the phone and rushed upstairs to get ready.

I threw on my swim trunks and a white t-shirt before heading downstairs to pack towels and other stuff we might need.

I was about to rush out the door when I looked at the clock. I groaned when I realized that I didn't need to be over there for another twenty minutes.

Reluctantly I forced myself to sit down at the table and stare at the clock, trying to force the minute hand to go faster.

When it finally did reach a suitable time for me to leave the house, I sprinted out the door and hopped in my car.

I was even impressed at how I managed to cut down my driving time by five minutes.

I hopped out of my car and bounded up her front steps. I knocked on her front door, rocking back and forth on my heels to try and keep my patience.

I was about to knock again when the door was pulled open by a flustered Bella.

She was hopping around, trying to put on her other flip flop while trying to stay balanced.

I chuckled, but wrapped my arms around her to keep her steady nonetheless.

"Thanks." She said, slightly flustered still.

"Anytime." I smiled, leaning in to kiss her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I followed Edward to his car, carrying a bag with a towel, sunscreen, throwing knives, sunglasses. You know, the usual.

That last kiss left my skin flushed, so by now I was probably the shade of a tomato.

I was reluctant at first to agree to go swimming.

There was no way in hell that I would be able to strap on weapons while in a bikini.

But my love of swimming and the idea of spending the day with Edward overran my concerns. I made sure to pack weapons in my bag though.

I was wearing my bathing suit underneath a pair of shorts and a tank top. It may be sunny today, but that didn't make it that much warmer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I pulled up to the pool and parked the car. I opened the trunk and grabbed the bag that stored our lunches; I tried offering to carry Bella's but she shot me down, she insisted on carrying her own bag.

I figured that she was just being stubborn, but I let her have her way.

I settled for wrapping my arm around her and leading her into the pool area.

The pool was only fairly crowded, maybe having a dozen or so other people there at the moment.

I led her over to one of the beach chairs set up on the side and placed down my bag.

Anxious to get in the pool, I stripped off my shirt and took off my flip flops.

I turned around to ask Bella a question, and felt my jaw drop.

She had already taken off her shorts and was in the process of pulling her shirt over her head, revealing a blue and white striped bikini.

My gaze traveled from her long, sumptuous legs; over her flat stomach, lingering at her chest and then met her blushing face, before getting lost in her deep brown eyes.

She closed the distance between us by taking a step forward and closing my jaw with her index finger, "You're drooling a little bit Edward."

I shook my head to clear out the muddled thoughts; I was about to say something to save what little dignity I had left when she ran past me, calling over her shoulder, "Are you coming?" Before jumping into the pool in a perfect dive.

I had a goofy grin on my face as I ran after her and jumped in, opting for a cannonball rather then a dive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We swam around the pool for a while; it was no surprise the she was just as good at swimming as she was at soccer. Maybe even better.

After a while she settled on floating on her back, resting on the surface of the water. The pool was fairly deserted by now, and those that were still there were packing up their stuff to leave.

She closed her eyes, seeming utterly at peace. No matter how hard I tried, which wasn't very hard, my eyes couldn't tear themselves away from her body.

This is the most of her skin I had yet to see; usually she chose to wear long sleeve shirts and jeans. Her skin was a pale creamy color, except for her face whenever she blushed.

I had only been staring at her for a little while when she said, "Like what you see?"

I jumped, slightly flustered at having her catch me ogling her. My eyes shot up to her face, but her eyes were still shut.

She opened one of her eyes and looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"Yes...?"I said, almost like a question.

This caused her chuckle and grab my hand, pulling me towards her before connecting her lips with mine.

I placed my hand on her bare back, trying to bring her closer; she seemed to want the same thing and wrapped her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss.

Her lips were soft and smooth, and felt like nothing I had ever experienced before. She tasted like strawberries, once my tongue came in contact with hers.

I had to suppress the groan that threatened to break out when she softly bit down on my lower lip.

I felt her smirk against my lips.

'_Well, two can play at that game.'_

Ever so slowly I traced her lips with the tip of my tongue. Every time she would lean forward to try and reconnect our lips I would pull back a little bit, just out of reach. I knew I was teasing her, but I couldn't resist.

The next thing I knew she tackled me backwards pushing us both underwater.

Kissing under water was an invigorating experience. I couldn't open my eyes in the chlorinated water, so I had to move by feel rather then sight.

I cupped both of her cheeks in my hands while her arms wrapped around my neck once again. Her lips were even smoother then before, and I could feel some of her loose hair tickling my cheek. I ran a hand through it, feeling it slide through my fingers smoothly.

We kicked our way to the surface when we were both in dire need of oxygen.

We were both gasping for air, her cheeks were flushed and I'm sure that mine looked similar.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was starting to get late so we decided to get out. I swam ahead and got out, grabbing her towel so that I could help her into it.

I wrapped it around her shivering shoulders and rubbed her arms trying to create enough friction to warm her up.

I looked up at the sky and sighed; the sun had already started to retreat behind the clouds, dousing the hot weather. I returned my gaze to her, only to find her staring at my chest, which was still dripping with water.

I smirked, "Like what you see?" I asked.

Her only response was to blush.

We had spent so long in the pool that I completely forgot about the food I packed for us.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" I asked pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

She bit her lip, "I wish I could. But I already promised to do something with one of my friends tonight." She said with a frown.

I gave her my best pout, something I learned from my sister.

I thought she was about to crack, when she said, "Why don't we have dinner tomorrow night."

I wrapped both my arms around her, "Alright, I guess I can settle with that." I said, before leaning in and capturing her lips in a sealing kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

It was sad to see Edward's Volvo pull away from my house, but I had work to do.

I changed clothes and grabbed my keys.

The drive to Port Angeles was shorter then expected and soon I was pulling up in front of the abandoned apartment building.

I only had to knock on the door once before Casey let me in.

"Welcome back." She said with a smile, "Did you have fun with your boyfriend?"

"Yeah we went to the-" I stopped short, making her smile, "How did you know?"

She shrugged and said, "What kind of spy would I be if I didn't know."

She had a good point.

"So, is he a good kisser?" She asked with a smirk.

"I am so not having this conversation with you." I told her, brushing past her.

"I think that just answered my question." She taunted.

"Can we just do this?" I said, changing the subject and gesturing towards the room set up for interrogation.

She nodded, becoming completely serious.

I took a deep breath and opened the door, closing it once she stepped in behind me.

I flipped on the light and looked around. We decided to question the woman first, since she's been here the longer.

The room was similar to a police interrogation room, with just a desk and a few chairs.

She was sitting in the one on the opposite side and her hands were bound behind her to the chair.

Her eyes followed me as I went over and sat in the chair opposite her.

The first instinct for most people when trying to get information out of someone is to grab a gun or a knife and try to beat it out of the person.

Trying to get information with torture is like trying to clean your house with a flamethrower: it doesn't work, and it just makes a mess.

Using torture will back-fire almost a hundred percent of the time; they'll tell you anything to make the pain stop. And usually what they tell you is as far from the truth as you can get.

I crossed my arms and propped my feet up on the desk, studying the woman in front of me.

Casey had cleaned the wound on her forehead and bandaged it, but other then a few bruises, she seemed pretty much intact.

She met my gaze head on, not saying a word. I saw ferocity in her eyes, but no fear. This didn't surprise me, I had realized while fighting her that she had obviously had some training. My guess would be that this isn't the worst situation that she's been in.

No, there was definitely no fear. However, I did detect a slight curiosity.

I laughed inwardly. She obviously had no idea who I was, and I'm sure she didn't expect to be taken hostage.

She wanted to know who I was almost as badly as I wanted to figure out what she knew. I could definitely use that to my advantage.

I didn't shift my gaze a millimeter; waiting to see if anything shifted behind her eyes.

The only sound in the room was the slow _'tick' , 'tick' , 'tick'_; coming from Edward's watch on my wrist, counting the seconds that were passing.

'_tick'_

'_tick'_

'_tick'_

"Who are you?" She asked, breaking the constant pattern.

A malicious smile spread on my face.

I waited a few more seconds, drawing it out, before saying, "Why don't we start with who you are and work our way from there."

Her eyes locked with mine, I could see the internal battle she was having within herself.

Seconds ticked by as she was making her decision. She seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Victoria."

I smiled at her once again, my grin anything but friendly.

"Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Victoria."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: You guys all probably hate me right now for leaving you with another cliff hanger. Sorry about that, I think it adds a mysterious tone to the story, and it makes you anxious to know what happens next. **

**Anyways, I am very happy to have made it past a thousand reviews. I literally couldn't have done it without you guys. I would really like some more ideas to use for the next chapter, or at least tell me what you think is going to happen. Those are always fun to read.**

**Oh, one more thing. For some reason my homepage now thinks I live in Canada. It switched all of the sudden and I can't figure out how to switch it back. So if any of you guys know how to and could let me know, that would be greatly appreciated; because the last time I checked, I still live in the US. **

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	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

'_tick…'_

'_tick……'_

'_tick………'_

Time itself seemed to be slowing down. My breath automatically trying to match its seemingly inconsistent rhythm.

I switched my feet to get more comfortable; this time putting my left one on top of my right, where they rested on top of the table.

I uncrossed my arms from their stiff position against my chest and placed one on the table; I began tapping on the cold metal table with my finger.

The light _'tap' 'tap' tap's _filled the room, driving out the deafening silence.

My eyes were still on her face, my expression patient but forceful. Her eyes were glued to the wall behind my head, her expression like stone.

'_tap'_

'_tap'_

'_tap'_

Her eye twitched.

That was the only minuscule giveaway that what I was doing was finally getting to her.

She hadn't said anything besides her name. She seemed to regret giving me that information and now was intent on staying quiet.

There was a loud sigh from behind me and her eyes snapped to Casey, who was leaning against the wall behind my back.

When neither of us did anything to acknowledge her sigh, she sighed again, this time slightly louder. I could feel my lips twitch, threatening to force themselves into a smile.

'_tick'_

'_tick'_

'_tick'_

"Oh, come on!" I heard Casey say behind me, loud enough for both of us to hear, causing Victoria to jump.

She pushed herself off the wall and moved behind Victoria. "She's obviously not going to say anything else. And frankly I'd like to get bed at a semi-decent time."

I watched as Victoria gave out a small breath of relief, her gaze cast downward.

Without taking my eyes off Victoria, I said, "I suppose you're right."

"Finally! Do you have any idea how long I've had to put up with her?" Casey gestured to Victoria, talking as though she wasn't there at all.

"Well at least you only got to deal with her when she was tied to a chair." I said, finally shifting my gaze to rest on Casey's face.

"True." She said, "So…do we want to do it in here or out back?" She flipped open the switch blade that previously belonged to the woman sitting in front of me.

Victoria's head snapped up and her eyes went wide. I kept my gaze on Casey.

"It might be easier to clean up the mess in here, besides these walls are pretty sound proof." I told her, watching out of the corner of my eye as Victoria's eyes widened even more.

"Good point." Casey continued, absentmindedly twirling the blade in-between her fingers with ease.

She took a step closer to Victoria, standing in her blind spot.

Victoria went rigid, but didn't say anything.

"Are we sure we want to use that knife though? My gun is in the other room, might make it easer." I asked Casey, gesturing with my head towards the door.

"I don't know, I kind of like this one." She said, flipping it closed and open again with a _'snap' _and a _'swish'_

"Just one jab here." Casey continued, stepping closer and pointing the blade at the center of Victoria's chest. "And it's over in no time."

Victoria's breathing became shallow; she desperately tried to keep her eyes off the blade that was a mere centimeter from her skin.

"Yeah I see what you're getting at, but that blade is a little small, we might have to do it at least a few more times to get the job done." I said, still keeping my eyes on Casey.

"Alright, alright fine. What if we did it this way?" She asked, raising the edge of the blade to Victoria's throat. "That way it's over and done, not as big a mess and we get to go home even sooner."

Beads of sweat were starting to form on Victoria's forehead.

She was leaning her head back as much as possible, trying to distance herself from the blade. I could see her pulse going erratic on her neck.

Her eyes finally found mine, her composure slipping. They were pleading and full of fear, she was begging me with her eyes to make Casey stop.

I looked at her for a moment or two more before saying, "Sounds good to me."

Victoria let out a small gasp that sounded strangled.

Casey pressed the cold metal of the blade against her throat.

"Stop! Stop! I'll talk! I'll talk!" She yelled, with wide, frantic eyes.

Casey smirked and stepped back, closing the blade again with a _'snap'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We waited a few minutes for her breathing to return to normal. She had been on the brink of a panic attack.

"Okay, so here's the deal." I started, taking my feet of the table, my face a mask of seriousness. "You tell us…well, you tell us everything: who you work for, what they want, et cetera, et cetera. And in return, we don't kill you." Then after a moments hesitation, "Or give you back to the people that hired you, who I'm sure would love to put a bullet through your head."

She took a deep breath, then slowly nodded. She knew she was cornered.

After a few more moments, that were only filled with deep breaths, she started talking.

"Black… Black Industries. That's who I work for…or at least that's who I _used_ to work for." She said, fidgeting in her seat.

I could sympathize with her uncomfortable state. No matter whether you were a spy, a secret agent, FBI, CIA, NSA, whatever; you were supposed to die with your secrets.

Nevertheless, I found her information interesting and alarming.

Images of documents popped up and were flying across my mind. I had read the name a few times, each amid the documents that belonged to Carlisle Cullen.

I nodded for her to continue.

"And I don't know what they want." She said, looking me in the eye.

"Bullshit." Casey said, taking a step forward.

Victoria's eyes widened in fear, "No I swear! They gave me very brief instructions! I wasn't paid to guard the secrets, I was paid to kill you and grab the guy!"

"Glad to know I'm so dispensable." I said sarcastically.

Her eyes met mine.

"Alright we'll get back to that. Tell me what your instructions were for that night." I said, seeing Casey lean back against the wall again.

She sighed, "Well, I was told that I was supposed to follow both of you to the restaurant. Somehow I was supposed to get the two of you apart, which actually turned out to be an incredibly hard task, you two are inseparable, it's rather irritating." I cleared my throat in annoyance, making her eyes snap up to me. I saw Casey give me a knowing smirk out of the corner of my eye.

She continued "So it was only my luck when you made your way to the bathroom. And well I guess you know what happened after that…" She winced.

Casey chuckled.

Victoria's eyes narrowed slightly, "Yeah, I was kind of wondering about that part. I'd like to ask before I go any further. Who the hell are you?" She said, slightly irritated.

I smiled my classic malicious smile, sharing a look with Casey.

"I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions. Maybe, after you tell us all you know, I'll tell you." I said, my voice giving away the fact that it was non debatable.

She narrowed her eyes at me, opening her mouth to retort; but immediately thought better of it when Casey coughed behind her.

"It was supposed to be an easy job. Get in, get rid of you, grab the guy, and bring him back to base." She continued regrettably, her eyes shifting back towards Casey.

"Where did you get your information from?" I asked.

"They have someone on the inside, feeding the rest of us information." She said, fidgeting to try and get into a more comfortable position while still tied to the chair.

This sent my mind into overdrive.

My mind was scanning images of each of the students who have ever come in contact with Edward.

I felt like an idiot.

No, worse. I felt like an amateur. How could I not have noticed someone getting that close!?!

"Who?" I asked her coldly, venom lacing my voice.

She winced slightly at my tone, "I don't know. I don't get the information directly; it goes through others first, people who are higher up the chain."

I sighed in frustration, "Of course." I said sarcastically to myself.

"Alright, one more question for now." I continued, pushing aside the other problem for the moment.

She looked relieved and nodded, eager for us to leave her alone.

"Where is the Black Enterprises base?"

"Why?" She asked, confused.

"Because… you're going to help me break in."

She gulped audibly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Casey was locking up the door to Victoria's new room. Locking each lock with keys and codes.

"So…you're going to try and get in to Black enterprises." She asked, but there was no hint of a question in there.

I didn't respond, waiting for her to spit it out.

"You don't think that will be too difficult for you?" I stopped and looked at her incredulously.

She froze, her mind catching up to just how ridiculous her words sounded.

"What- What I mean is-is that wouldn't it be better if you had some back up?" She said, desperate for me to understand that she wasn't doubting my abilities as an agent.

I felt my lips twitch into a smile.

"Well, you didn't think I was going alone did you?" I said, smiling back at her as we continued walking.

"Really?" She asked in unbelief.

I nodded, and she immediately caught up with me, matching my stride.

I noticed that there now seemed to be a small spring in her step as she walked beside me.

"Okay, let's see if this guy's up for talking and then we can call it a night."

She nodded in agreement and reached for the door knob.

"Oh, and Casey?" I said, stopping her. "I think I'll take the knife this time."

"Awww, but that was so much fun." She pouted.

I raised an eyebrow and held out my hand, palm up.

"Fine." She agreed, a smile tugging at her lips as she placed the knife in my hand.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation and followed behind her as she entered the room.

This room was almost identical to the one where we questioned Victoria, except this time it was the guy sitting on the opposite side with his hands bound.

I walked further in, eyeing the man in front of me.

There was something off.

My eyes narrowed; I couldn't put my finger on it, but…

All of the sudden, he stood up and using his hands that we had thought were bound together, grabbed his chair and threw it at us. I briefly saw fragments of the rope dangling from his wrists, before I had to jump out of the way.

We dodged the chair by centimeters and looked up to see him disappear out the door.

Casey was looking at me with an incredulous expression, lost for words.

"I thought you bound his hands?" I asked, turning to her.

"I- I did!" She stuttered, her eyes still wide with disbelief.

"Well…?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Go get him." I said gesturing towards the door with my hand, effectively snapping her out of her daze.

She sprinted out the door and I headed for the weapons room at the same pace.

Passing over the guns and knives, I grabbed a taser gun. It worked last time.

I rushed out of the room and followed in the direction that Casey went previously.

I came upon a most amusing scene.

The guy, whose name we still did not know, was in the middle of the room, struggling to pull Casey off his back.

She was hanging on for dear life and was not letting him leave without a fight.

I couldn't hold in the laugh that bubbled up.

Her eyes snapped to me and she said, "I could use a little help over here!"

I stopped laughing and ran over to where they were struggling.

Casey saw the taser gun in my hand and immediately dropped off the guys back.

She obviously knew enough about tasers to know not to be attached to someone when sixty thousand volts are going through their body.

Once free of his burden, the guy started sprinting for the door without a glance at either of us.

I aimed.

I fired.

Aaaand… I watched him go down like a sack of potatoes.

The effects of the taser gun would wear off in about fifteen minutes, plenty of time to get him bound up.

Satisfied, I turned to Casey. She was bent over, resting her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

"You okay?" I asked her.

Her response was to give me a thumbs up.

I chuckled and went to go grab some rope, a few minutes later she helped me get him back in the interrogation room.

We found that a shard of the metal chair had been stripped.

If one was desperate enough, they would definitely be able to cut through the rope binding their hands.

He had gone through a lot of trouble to strip the metal. I glanced at his hands and saw deep cuts in them.

This time I bound his hands twice, after getting a new chair, tied his feet together, and nailed the chair to the floor. His hands were bound tight enough now, that even if he tried, they wouldn't move an inch.

I grabbed a video camera from the storage room and had Casey help me install it.

The entire time she looked like she was ashamed of herself.

I couldn't blame her, I felt the same way about not being able to figure out who the spy that's gotten so close to Edward is.

Once we were finished connecting all the wires and whatnot, I said, "Hey, don't worry about it."

She knew what I was talking about without having to ask.

She sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess I should just let it go. It could have been a lot worse, he could have gotten away."

"Not with you hanging around his neck." I laughed, causing her to smile a little bit.

I sighed and glanced at my/Edward's watch. It was getting late.

"Listen, why don't we just call it a night? I doubt he's going to be in any mood to talk after being electrocuted. Why don't we let him sit for a while, maybe we'll get something out of him in a few days." I said

She nodded in agreement and covered up a large yawn.

"And we can start drawing up plans to get into Black Enterprises then as well. We're going to need Victoria's help on this one, I don't know where this place is, but it's not the building they do business in. She's been inside before; she can help us draw a blueprint." I explained.

"How do you know we can trust the information she gives us?" Casey asked incredulously.

I chuckled, "Because, she knows that if she doesn't and we get caught. All we have to do is tell them where she is and she's as good as dead. Or if we get killed and don't come back, she'll starve to death."

"Lovely." Was her reply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I groaned as I blindly swung at my beeping alarm clock.

I knocked it on the ground, effectively shutting up the infuriating noise.

The last thing I wanted to do was roll out of bed and go to school.

There was only one thing that could motivate me at this time of the morning: Bella.

At that thought, my eyes shot wide open and I scrambled out of bed.

After almost tripping while trying to pull on my jeans, I raced downstairs and made breakfast for both myself and Alice.

I just finished making the pancakes when I heard a voice behind me, "Why are you so cheery this morning?"

I turned around with a smile and placed a plate of pancakes in front of her.

She raised an eyebrow in question but started eating anyways.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain friend of mine, now would it?" She asked with a slight smirk.

"Is it a crime to be in a good mood?" I asked defensively, though I'm pretty sure she saw right through me.

She gave me a soft but happy smile and shook her head in wonder.

"Hey, do you mind if we leave early, I'd like to pick up coffee before school." I said, grabbing my own plate of pancakes and sitting down next to her.

"Sounds good to me, some coffee would be very welcome. We can't all wake up like we just got off a sugar rush." She joked, giving me a pointed look.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

School started in twenty minutes. I was waiting patiently in front of Bella's locker, holding two cups of coffee, a happy smile still on my face.

It grew ten times larger when I saw Bella stumble through the front door, her attention fixated on the paper she was holding.

She stuffed it back in her bag, almost running into me while her attention was focused on other things.

"Good morning." I said, startling her, causing her to look up.

"Oh thank god." She said

I opened my arms to receive the hug I thought she was about to give me.

Instead she reached over and plucked one of the coffees from my hand, downing half of it in one gulp.

She sighed in relief.

"Rough night?" I asked, holding back a chuckle at her frenzied exposure.

"You are a life saver." She said, gesturing towards the coffee, "And yes, it wasn't one of my better nights."

"Maybe I can make it better." I said, leaning in and giving her a kiss on the lips. She tasted like strawberries and coffee.

I briefly noticed that the people passing by at the moment, stopped to stare in incredulity. People were still not used the idea of me in a relationship.

If I were the same person I was a month ago, I would not be in this situation. I would not be this lucky.

I pulled back from Bella, her eyes still closed, a small sigh escaping her lips.

She opened her lids slowly and I was immediately captivated in depth of her eyes. Brown was my new favorite color.

I don't know how long we stood there staring at each other, but eventually she blushed and looked away, taking another sip of her coffee.

I smiled in success and touched her cheek. I loved her blush almost as much as I loved her eyes.

I watched her as she opened her locker and took what she need for the appropriate classes. The blush still prominent on her face under my gaze.

Once she was finished, I wrapped my arm around her waist and led her to our first class. My contentment went up a notch when she leaned into me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day was flying by fairly quickly, and soon enough I was changing for P.E. in the locker room.

I still had a smile on my face as I pulled my shirt on over my head.

The other guys noticed my cheesy, stupid smile and gave me weird looks as they changed, I easily ignored them, still reminiscing over the last kiss I shared with Bella.

The silky softness of her lips on mine, the way her fingers would play with my hair at the nape of my neck, and just her in general.

And then Mike had to come and ruin it all.

"Hey Cullen, do you think you're going to be with Bella much longer. Because frankly, she's one fine piece of ass, and I'd like to get to know her better, if you know what I mean." He laughed.

My entire body tensed.

I spun and faced him, his laughing expression practically melting when he saw the fury on mine.

"I don't want to _ever_ hear you talk about her like that again! If you even come near her I will-"

I was cut off by Emmett who noticed the beginning of a fight and pulled me back. I struggled in his grasp, wanting to get back there and beat the crap out of Mike.

"Edward, it's not worth it!" I wanted to argue with him, but he was probably right.

I let him lead me out of the locker room and into the gym.

I spotted Bella on the other side of the room, talking to Alice, and made my way over to her.

She smiled at me when I reached her, but frowned when she saw the expression on my face.

"What's wrong?" She asked, reaching for me.

"Nothing, just Mike being an ass as usual." I said and brought her into my embrace.

I kissed the top of her head, breathing in the strawberry scent, immediately feeling a wave of calm overtake me.

"I'll kick him for you later." Was her muffled reply, her face still tucked into my shoulder.

I chuckled and held her tighter, not doubting her for a minute.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

Edward picked me up for our date around six o'clock and soon we were on our way to the nicest restaurant Forks had to offer.

We walked into the burger shack and sat down in one of the booths, enjoying each others company immensely.

I had spent the majority of the day looking at students out of the corner of my eye, wondering which one of them was as deep undercover as I was.

I didn't have any luck though, making me irritable.

But the second Edward reappeared next to me, my thoughts would go fuzzy, and I would be unable to concentrate on anything but him. I didn't fight it; it felt good to feel almost slightly normal.

Those periods of time where I was able to forget everything else and trick my mind into thinking that I was and ordinary teenager, felt like a drug to me.

Edward was like my very own brand of heroin, and I couldn't get enough of it. He was slowly numbing the feelings of sadness and trepidation that often rose up in my life.

I had to have set a new record with the number of smiles that covered my face in the past hour.

We talked and laughed about things that I assumed normal people talked about when they went out to dinner.

By the time Edward kissed me goodbye on my front porch, my mind was too fuzzy to think about anything other then how smooth his lips were. It was just after eight thirty when I stuck my key in the door.

However, as I stepped over the threshold of my house and began slowly stripping off my weapons, it began to creep back and invade my mind.

I crawled into bed, staring at the clock on my bedside table, watching the minutes slowly pass by; it's soft glow casting dim shadows.

As the hour crept towards one o'clock, I was still just as awake as ever.

I didn't let my mind wander, afraid of what I might come across.

Just when I was going to close my eyes and try to force myself to fall asleep, there was a single _'tap'_ on my window.

I stayed stock still, hoping that I imagined it.

My mind went into overdrive when the same sound happened again twice more.

The only movement I made was to slowly reach my hand under my mattress, grasping the stiff metal of the gun I kept there for emergencies.

I pulled it out and hid it underneath the covers, before slowly rolling over to face to window. My heart rate sped up to a hazardous rate as I kept my eyes on the window, waiting for any sign of movement.

You know how, whenever your watching a horror film, and all of the sudden the music gets really quiet and you _know_ something horrifying is about to pop out, but it scares the crap out of you anyways.

Well, that's what this was like.

I nearly had a heart attack when Edward's face instantly appeared.

"_psst…Bella…let me in…"_

I wanted to push him off the branch he was standing on and pull him inside with me at the same time.

I quickly shoved the gun back under my mattress and opened the window.

"_What the hell are you doing!?!_" I whispered fiercely.

"I missed you." Was his excuse.

I swear to god, if I didn't have a soft spot for him I would have shut the window in his face.

I sighed in exasperation, making him smile in success as he climbed in.

"You could have used the front door." I told him, closing the window again, making sure it was locked.

"This way seemed more romantic. I tried throwing a few pebbles first, but you ignored them, so naturally I had to climb up the tree." He replied audaciously.

I rolled my eyes at his crazy antics.

He laid down next to me, pulling the covers over both of us.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." He said, kissing my cheek.

I snorted, "Don't worry, you didn't."

"Liar." He murmured, pulling me into his chest.

I shifted to face him, slightly irked.

"I was surprised, not scared, surprised. Big difference. I don't normally have crazy people climbing in through my window during the middle of the night. In fact-"

He silences me with his lips.

My eyes closed slowly against my will.

"_Shhh, go to sleep' _He whispered once he pulled away.

I shifted back to my original position, and he once again pulled my back into his chest and wrapping his arm around me.

I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, tickling the hairs there softly.

"I wasn't afraid." I mumbled sleepily, defending my reputation even on the brink of unconsciousness.

"I know" He mumbled and lightly kissed the back of my neck.

My eyelids drooped closed, the back of my neck still tingling as I fell into oblivion.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: So, you guys got to know a little bit more information in this chapter. Don't be disappointed that I didn't divulge all the secrets at once. How else am I supposed to get you to keep reading? And trust me; you're going to want to, because more action is on the way!**

**On another note, some of your reviews are very funny and amusing to read, I can't tell you how many times I laughed when reading them. So I just wanted to point out, yet again, that you guys are awesome. **

**I gotta say, I am curious as to how you guys found my story in the first place. Did you find it randomly, did you search for it, hear about it from a friend, find it in a community? I actually do really want to know, it makes me feel special when people tell me that this story was recommended to them by a friend. And this story is currently in ten different communities! How awesome is that!**

**Okay, this Authors Note is starting to get way too long so I'm just going to wrap it up by once again pointing out that the shiny, green button right there, makes this story update faster when you press it. :P**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

EPOV

It was the early hours of the morning, but I wasn't the least bit tired.

Instead I was watching Bella sleep. In any other situation, this would probably be considered creepy.

I studied her face, watching as even breaths escaped her lips in a constant rhythm, her sweet breath fanning my face, making me feel slightly intoxicated.

A lock of hair was resting on her cheek; I tentatively reached my hand out and brushed it back behind her ear, stroking her cheek softly in the process.

My eyes widened a fraction when she let out a soft sigh and leaned into my touch.

I looked at her eyes to see if she was awake, but my motion did not disturb her

There was a crease between her eyes, even in sleep she was tense and not at rest.

Sleep was supposed to be relaxing, the time of day when the body recovered from all the insanity. I wondered when the last time was that she got a proper night of sleep; it had to have been a while.

Again, I reached out my hand and softly ran my thumb along the crease, marveling as it came undone a fraction and her face relaxed.

How could anyone have treated her so terribly? I never brought her past up in any of our conversations; I was waiting for her to broach the subject.

All I know, is that I would take care of her for as long as she would let me.

I slowly traced my fingertips down the side of her face, over the scar on her cheek until I reached her lips, I slowly ran my thumb across them, they felt like rose petals.

"_Edward_"

I froze. My eyes snapped up to her face, but she was still asleep.

But that meant…

'_Oh my god! Bella's dreaming about me!'_

I held my breath, waiting to see if she would say anything else.

When she didn't, I ran my fingers across her lips again, watching as they spread into a small smile.

My lips formed into a smile of their own as I watched her.

Who knew that watching someone sleep could be so mesmerizing and beautiful?

The sun was just starting to come up, illuminating her room in a soft light.

I glanced at the clock and sighed, I would have to leave soon if I was going to go home and get ready for school.

I looked down at the beautiful woman in my arms and my will power to leave crumbled.

She stirred in my arms and opened her eyes, I immediately got lost in them.

She blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the sleepy feeling that came with the early morning. Then she smiled when her eyes focused on me.

"Good morning." I said, giving her a peck on the lips.

"'Morning." She replied, rather sleepily.

I chuckled.

She swatted lazily at me with her arm, which just resulted in me laughing at her more.

Once the laughter subsided again, I sighed, remembering that I had to leave.

She saw my expression and glanced at the clock behind her.

"I suppose you should get going." She said, reluctance clearly evident in her voice.

I nodded and got up, shivering as my body came in contact with the frigid air.

"Are you sure you don't want me to climb back out the window?" I asked, chuckling.

She just rolled her eyes and pulled me away from the window, dragging me out her bedroom door and down the stairs.

I sighed when we reached the door. I seemed to be doing that a lot more lately.

I gave her a small kiss on the cheek and stepped out the door…

Only to have her grab onto my arm and drag me back inside with more force then expected and crush her lips to mine.

Apparently my kiss on the cheek was not enough for her.

I eagerly responded and felt her smile against my lips.

At some point I ended back up on her porch, so when she pulled away she said, "Bye Edward.", and closed the door.

I was in a daze, a happy one, but a daze none the less.

I stumbled off her porch, slightly loopy, a stupid smile still present on my face.

I walked to my car and got in, still smiling as I pulled out into the road.

As I was driving I kept on thinking about Bella.

I loved watching her blush when she got embarrassed or angry.

I loved how her laugh sounded.

I loved the way her eyes would captivate me with just a glance.

I loved how she was tough, yet sexy.

I loved how she was so different from every girl I've ever met.

I loved…her.

"Holy shit!" I slammed on the brakes, almost making the car behind me collide into me.

I was breathing heavily as I pulled the car over on the side of the road.

I leaned my head back against the seat, my thoughts running through my mind at a million miles and hour.

Me, Edward Cullen, had fallen in love.

I was in love with her.

I, Edward Cullen, was in love with Bella Swan.

My smile stretched my face to the limit, and I quickly started heading home.

I burst through the door of Alice's room.

"I'm in love! I'm in love Alice!" I yelled. If she wasn't awake yet, she was now.

She walked out of her bathroom, a smug smile on her face.

I would have called her out for being a know it all, but at the moment I couldn't care less.

"That's great Edward! Didn't I tell you this would happen?" She said, bouncing with excitement.

I nodded, more awake then ever.

"So, when are you going to tell her?"

My stomach dropped.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I pulled into a parking space in a much better mood then I usually would.

I had just gotten out of the car when I was joined by Edward, I smiled at him.

I had literally just seen him a little over an hour ago and I already missed his presence.

He took my bag for me; I narrowed my eyes at him, but let it slide.

As we were walking, I continuously caught him staring at me. But when I would look up, he would only smile at me.

He seemed to be glowing, more happy then usual; but every time I would ask him about it, he would just smile and shrug.

We were about to walk into our first class when he pulled me aside.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" He asked, pushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear, making my skin tingle.

I wanted to say 'no', but I had important plans with Casey tonight.

I sighed, and his face fell.

"I'm sorry; I just have something really important to do." I said, truly sorry.

"That's okay." He said, pecking me on the lips, "maybe another night."

The smile was back on his face, but it wasn't as bright as before.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day dragged on slowly, but pretty soon the final bell rang and I headed for my car.

I watched Edward as he pulled out of the parking lot, Alice in the passenger seat, talking excitedly.

I took a deep breath and started heading for Port Angeles.

I was still having no luck finding out who was under cover here at the school, and I was having no luck with any of the bugs I planted at Cullen Enterprises. Either I was missing something, or people were being very careful.

I doubt that I have gone completely unnoticed. If I was lucky, they didn't know who specifically was foiling their schemes. Which meant that I was still safe for the moment.

Or they could know that I was an undercover spy, and that outing me, would also uncover them.

I sighed, shaking my head to try and disperse the complicated thoughts flowing through it.

Sooner then I hoped, I was pulling up to the abandoned apartment complex that was serving as our base.

I locked my car with a _'beep'_ and headed inside.

We used a lot of security on the place. There was a fingerprint scan, an access code and plenty of other measures that assured me that anyone we didn't want coming in, wouldn't.

"Hey." Casey greeted me, getting up from the table where she was sitting.

I nodded to acknowledge her greeting.

I think she could sense that I was upset, but didn't push it. For that, I was thankful.

"Have either of them said anything else?" I asked.

She chuckled.

"Well, Ms. Victoria over there." She said, pointing over her shoulder to one of the doors, "keeps on complaining about anything she can. But other then that, not a word."

"Well, as long as the information she's given us is good, we should be able to head out tonight." I said, shaking my head in exasperation.

She nodded enthusiastically, obviously excited. I almost forgot that this was probably her first real intense part of the mission. Most of the time she has been stuck here babysitting the two hostages.

"Alright, why don't we go gear up and get ready to leave in about an hour." I said.

She nodded and started following me down the hall to the storage room.

I kept a lot of weapons and supplies at my house, but I kept enough here that I could defend myself if necessary.

Once past all the security measures in the room, I switched on the overhead lights.

The narrow room was filled with fluorescent light that showed us the rows and shelves of weapons and other spyware.

I strode to the back and tossed her a pair of the black mission pants and a black long-sleeve shirt, before grabbing a pair for myself.

We changed into them quickly, and I tossed her a belt before snapping mine on with a _'click'_.

I bent down to tie on my boots, while she went and perused our weapons; her finger tracing over the different guns, before she found the one she wanted.

Most agents preferred a certain type of gun; it was just a matter of getting the right fit.

"So, do you want your usual?" Casey called over her shoulder to me.

"Yeah." I told her, finishing up my shoe laces and standing up just in time to catch the loaded weapon she tossed to me, along with a refill of bullets.

I looked over the gun in my hand. It was what I usually worked with, a SIG-Sauer P228. Casey, on the other hand, preferred an S&W 4006 handgun. They had nothing on an automatic weapon, but they would do the job if we ever got caught in a sticky situation.

I put it into the slot on my belt and continued to grab things we would most likely need.

"Flashlight." I called.

She tossed me one, "Check."

"Gloves." I continued.

She threw them over her shoulder, "Check."

"Knives."

She reached for them and started to toss.

"Casey!" I yelled, causing her to stop her movement.

"What?"

"They're called throwing knives for a reason!" I continued, gesturing to the knives.

Her eyes shifted to the blades in her hands, before it finally clicked.

She smiled sheepishly as she walked over and placed them in my hand instead. I gave her a look.

"Thank you; I'd rather not get stabbed before we even leave the building." I said, strapping two of the knives onto my forearms and putting the other one in my belt.

"Here put this in." I told her, handing her an earwig. "We have to be able to communicate if we're ever separated.

She nodded and took it from me, placing it in her ear; watching as I did the same.

Once I was all finished, I gave Casey a once over to make sure everything was in check.

"All right. It looks like we're all set." I told her, striding out of the room.

She quickly followed after me, carrying the bag containing things we would need.

"We should probably take your car." I told her, referring to the SUV.

"Sure, it's around the corner." She set down her bag and fished in her pocket for the keys.

She was about to hand them over, but I shook my head. "I want to see how you drive."

Her eyes widened briefly, but it was gone in a second. She could tell that I was testing her on this mission. Besides, I was curious as to how good she really was; they don't just send anyone out to be my backup.

Once we got in the car, we started heading for Seattle. It was a couple hour drive, but we would have to wait until it got dark anyways.

It was pretty quiet on the drive up there, since I wasn't the one driving I allowed my mind to wander.

Of course, the first thing it went to was Edward.

Before long my mind was far from focused. I had a wistful smile on my face, I was thinking about how his lips felt when he kissed me, how his hands would linger on my hips, or tangle in my hair-

"Bella!"

"What!" I sat quickly, looking back and forth for the cause of her outburst.

I looked at her with an incredulous expression.

She laughed, "Chill out, I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes; you kind of zoned out on me."

I gave a sigh of relief and leaned back in my seat again.

"So…" She started; I turned my head to look at her and raised my eyebrows. "What were you thinking about? You were pretty far gone."

"Nothing." I said too quickly, turning my head away to hide my blush.

"Mmmhhmm..sure." She said, not believing me for a second. I could tell by the smirk on her face that she knew _exactly_ what I was thinking about.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Alright, we'll park here, and walk the rest of the way." I told her as she pulled over and parked the car under the cover of some trees.

I took the bag from her and we started walking under the covers of the trees.

We weren't in the city part of Seattle, but there were plenty of buildings around.

The sun had gone down about an hour ago, so there was plenty of darkness to cover us.

I looked over my shoulder to make sure that Casey was still following me.

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

"A little bit." She admitted, "You?"

"Nah, I'm excited." I told her, smiling.

She rolled her eyes, "Only you would be excited about going on a mission that could potentially kill you."

I chuckled and continued leading the way.

Once the building came in sight that we were looking for, we stopped. Still staying completely under the cover of the trees.

"Alright, tell me what you see." I said, looking at Casey.

She nodded and looked over at the building.

"Chain link fence with barbed wire on top. Two…no wait, three security cameras." She pointed each thing out as she saw them, while I nodded at her to continue.

"And two guards with automatic weapons circling the building." She finished.

"Easiest point of entrance?" I asked, waiting for her answer.

I watched her eyes shift back and forth over the building.

"There's a small blind spot between the cameras if we manage to take one out. Use the back door entrance and face anyone that comes our way." She said.

I thought about her plan and looked over the building for myself.

"How about this. We do what you said, but instead of going in the back door, where I'm sure there are many people with guns, we climb up to that shorter part of the roof using the ledge over there, and get in through there. Victoria wasn't sure how many people they have in the building at one time, but I'm guessing that their security is looser there." I told her, pointing everything out as I said it.

It didn't take long for her to agree that this was indeed a better plan. I set to work on disabling the security camera with a laser pointer.

Making sure that the coast was clear, we sprinted across the lot and hopped the fence. We used the backpack to cover the barbed wire part and continued sprinting.

I spotted her as she used the bars covering the window to scale the wall and grip onto the ledge of the roof. She had to swing a couple of times before she managed to heave herself over.

I followed her, getting up the same way.

"What is this place?" She whispered.

"I'm not sure. I think it used to be a nice office building that got foreclosed. Now, Black Enterprises is using it as the base for the stuff they're keeping off the radar. The main office building is somewhere in the actual city." I answered her.

"So what are we hoping to get out of this?" She asked, still whispering as we ran across the roof top and climbed up to the higher part.

"Not sure exactly; now that we know who it is, we still have to find out why. They don't have this much security if they're not hiding something." I responded in the same hushed tone.

We stayed hunched over as we walked around the roof, keeping our footsteps quiet as we looked for a way in.

"This'll work." I said, looking down upon a skylight.

Casey looked at it tentatively before putting the bag down.

"Alright, get the ropes and carabineers out and I'll work on getting this thing open." I told her. She nodded and got to work

Using a crowbar from the bag, I pried out the screws keeping the skylight in place, grimacing at the small bits of noise that were made.

Once I was sure that we would be able to lift it up and slide through, I turned around to inspect her work.

The skylight was too narrow for us both to go in at the same time; we would have to take turns.

Once the rope was tied off, I hooked one of the carabineers onto my belt and slid the rope through, adding a loop so that it would slide, rather then just drop me.

I slide the glass off the skylight quietly, and said, "Wish me luck."

With that said, I jumped back into the opening, the rope taking my weight. I slid my way down slowly, going as silent as possible.

I didn't see anyone, and once I reached the ground inside, I unhooked my carabineer.

I looked up to see Casey's head looking down at me and gave her a thumbs up, the universal sign that it was all clear.

She nodded and was soon sliding down the rope, landing beside me with a soft, _'thud'_.

She gestured towards the ropes, I shook my head. We were just going to have to leave them here. It was our only exit for now and if we needed to use them for a quick getaway, we would need to be able to access them.

I looked around at the room we were in; it seemed to be a spare office, with just a few boxes and a desk. By the looks of it, not many people came in here anyways, so as long as the door remained closed.

I made the hand signal for her to follow me and be quiet, and then pointed to my earwig.

She nodded in understanding. If she needed to talk to me, the earwig in my ear would pick up anything she says.

I opened the door a crack and peered out, I watched two guys pass by; both of them were carrying weapons under their jackets. Once they went by, we crept out into the hall, both of our hands on our loaded weapons.

The information the Victoria gave us was useful, but not extensive. She had only been here a couple times, and both times she wasn't exactly given a look at the security plan.

We walked down the hallway, Casey keeping to my back to watch behind us. The quiet was eerie.

I walked up to one of the doors and knocked.

Casey looked at me like I was insane, but I held up a finger for her to wait.

Knocking on a door was a much easier way to find out if there was anyone inside then just bursting in. People tend to respond better to the first course of action.

When no sound came from the other side, I picked the lock and slipped in; Casey following close behind.

There was no one inside when we got in, just a few cabinets full of files. I picked the lock on the cabinet and started going through them. When I couldn't find anything pertaining to what I was looking for, I started on the next one.

I thought I was going to get paper cuts and blisters by the time we went through them all, and all for nothing.

"This is pointless." Casey said, pointing out the obvious after we had been there for a good fifteen minutes.

I nodded in agreement and gestured for us to leave. Using the same process as before, I checked to make sure that the coast was clear, before slipping out into the hallway.

We picked a room further down the hall and quickly got inside.

This room looked more promising then the last one, there were more filing cabinets, a closet and a computer.

I immediately headed for the latter, letting Casey try to tackle the paperwork and take a look in the supply closet.

There was an access log on the computer, requiring a password.

My phone could crack it, but we didn't have that much time. I started looking around the desk, searching for anything that could use as a clue. Often times just by gathering the simplest information about a person, you could learn a lot.

We heard a lot of scuffling outside the door, followed by some shouting.

"I'll check in here, you get the next one." Came a muffled voice behind the door, making me freeze.

I met Casey's panicked look and made motions with my hands for her to get down behind the desk. I went and flattened myself against the wall next to the door.

I watched in anticipation as the doorknob jingled then turned.

A man that was about a foot and a half taller then me strode in. He was too distracted to see me, not noticing until the last second when I grabbed his arm and pushed his face into the wall.

He gave out a cry of surprise, before I muffled it with my hand and used the other to hold one of his arms while I had the other pinned against the wall.

Casey soon came to my aid, grabbed his gun and helped me shove him into the closet, using the chair at his desk to prop against the doorknob, effectively locking him in.

"Now what!?!" Casey asked.

"I'm not sure; we must have tripped a soundless alarm somewhere." I said, pulling out my gun, watching out of the corner of my eye as she did the same. "Why can I never get out of a place without some alarm or rather going off?" I muttered to myself

I put my ear to the door before swinging it open and stepped out into the hall, pointing my gun in every direction.

"Stay close to me." I told her, and started running towards the room we originally came out of.

I spotted it as we rounded the corner, and picked up my speed.

I checked over my shoulder to make sure that Casey was still there, and when I turned back around I almost came face to face with a guy coming out of the exact door we were heading for.

The first one pointed his gun at me but I swung my leg up and around and hit his wrist, sending the weapon flying.

I grabbed his outstretched arm and used his own forward movement to send him tumbling past me and onto the ground.

Both of our eyes snapped to his discarded gun that was only a yard and a half away from him.

I dove.

My fingers barely grazed it when I felt my body being dragged back. Soon the two of us were wrestling on the ground, trying to gain an advantage over the other.

He was clearly bigger then me, but I had much better training.

I could hear footsteps coming at a fast pace around the corner.

I was currently trying to pin both of his arms down with one hand, while trying to grab the gun with the other. I stretched and managed to snatch it, and held it to the back of his head to stop his struggling. Suddenly bullets were flying over my head, making me drop to the ground and flatten myself.

I glanced up quickly to see Casey pressing herself against the wall, keeping them back. I saw the occasional person peak around the corner fifty feet away, only to dive back when a few bullets flew by their ear.

Casey was doing a good job, but she couldn't hold this up forever. Either she would run out of bullets, or they would try to come at us from a different angle, and getting boxed in was the last thing I wanted.

"Casey! We have to go!" I yelled, she glanced at me quickly and nodded.

"Start running! I'll hold them off for a few seconds and then catch up with you!" I yelled over the noise of bullets ricocheting everywhere.

She hesitated for a second, but once I started firing with my own weapon she started running.

I started backing up, still firing at the corned where at least five people were trying to fire back.

I managed to clip one guy who stuck his body out too far; he fell to the ground, his arm bleeding profusely.

Once my back pressed up against the door at the other end of this hall, I fired one last shot and slipped inside.

I immediately locked it and turned around spotting Casey attempting to push one of the filing cabinets. I ran over to help her and soon we had it pressed against the door, which was now trembling violently. They were trying to break it down; soon they would try to shoot the lock. We didn't have much time.

"I'm out of bullets." Said Casey, she was still breathing heavily.

"Here use this." I told her quickly, handing over the gun I took from the other guy.

I quickly ran over and grabbed the desk chair, lifting it over my head.

"Once I do this, we have to be quick." I told her, she nodded, "Don't think, just shoot and focus on running."

With that said, I threw the chair through the window, effectively shattering it and leaving a wide enough hole for us to jump through.

I didn't hesitate for a second, I grabbed Casey and we jumped.

I bent my knees to make the drop easier, but there is only so much you can do.

Once my feet made contact with the ground I rolled, trying to lessen the force of the impact of the fifteen or so foot drop, wincing as I felt my knees scrape.

There was no time to stop and assess the damage though. I grabbed Casey's, who had a slight limp in her step now, and began running again.

Apparently, my throwing a chair through a window didn't go unnoticed, and there were shouts and the sound of gunfire all around us.

I shot back at the direction the bullets were coming from, but didn't stop running. I heard faint sounds of pain, as my bullets made contact with their targets, yet their fire was relentless. I practically felt one of their bullets fly by my ear, missing it by centimeters.

'_Someone really needs to train these people better. Their aim is almost terrible.'_

Almost as an after thought I spun around and quickly shot out the closest security cameras I could see, getting them in a few shots. I had a small, smug smirk on my face.

We made it to the fence and started climbing over. We had nothing to put over the barbed wire this time, and soon there were deep cuts in the gloves on my hands.

I helped Casey over, who seemed to be struggling, and she nearly collapsed on the other side.

That's when I noticed the blood.

Her leg was bleeding profusely, but she still managed to stand up. My respect for her went up a few notches.

I was knocked from my thoughts when a bullet sunk into the trunk of a tree a foot from my head.

"Jesus Christ! You'd think they would run out of bullets at some point! Or people!" Casey said, her voice slightly strained.

I was running out of bullets. I managed to get out a few more good shots before I slid both knives out of their holsters.

We were moving slower now, due to Casey's leg, but we weren't much farther from our car.

The people following us made it past the fence now; they decided to go around it rather then over. I extended my arm and sent my blade sailing through the air. The person it was intended for dodged it by inches, but the person behind them wasn't so lucky.

Casey tossed me the keys to the car and hoisted herself into the passenger seat.

I started the engine and pulled onto the road, my tires screeching with the effort.

The sound of gunfire was still happening, and soon our rear windshield was gone.

"Doesn't this car have bullet proof glass!?!" I yelled at Casey, who was now searching through the glove compartment for a spare gun.

"I was getting to it!" She loaded a cartridge of bullets into the bottom of the gun, "Besides, it's easier to shoot this way!"

'_Every time! Why does the car have to get scratched or shot up every time!' _ I thought to myself angrily as I increased our speed.

Casey was firing back, but we were soon far enough away that there was no longer a need too. She stopped shooting and put the gun in her lap, heaving a large sigh.

"Don't they have police up here?" She asked incredulously.

I shrugged and focused on the road, they would be around soon enough.

"And we didn't even get anything! Nada! Nothing! Not even so much as a post it note!" She continued, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

I sighed, I was just as angry as she was about the lack of information we gathered, until I remembered something.

"How's your leg?" I asked, glancing over at her.

"It's been better. I think I got grazed by a bullet after we jumped out the window. I don't think it's bad enough for stitches, but I'll see once we get back." She said, inspecting it with her hand.

I nodded, glad that she wasn't seriously injured. I pulled into a parking lot and parked the car.

Pulling the key out of the ignition, I got out, Casey scrambling after me.

"We need a new car. This one's a little obvious." I explained, looking at what my options were.

"Yeah…I guess you're right." She said, sighing as she looked at the back of our car. I chuckled and took a look for myself. It was pretty bad; should serve for a pretty interesting find for the person who discovers it in the morning.

"Do you think they have cars out there looking for us?" She asked, looking back down the road.

"Probably, but we got a pretty good head start. Another reason we need to leave our car behind." I said, walking over to a Honda civic. "This one will do."

Casey made a face at my choice of a car; obviously she wanted something flashier.

I made quick work of the lock and set to work on hot wiring it.

In no time flat we were heading down the road again.

Casey was pouting in the passenger seat.

"So let me get this straight." She started, "When your super expensive, nice, shiny Maserati got damaged, the Academy paid to get it fixed up. But when my car get's damaged, we have to leave it behind?"

"Yeah, pretty much." I said, laughing lightly.

Her eyes narrowed at me, and she turned in her seat with a huff.

I laughed, but I was also glad that it was the car that was covered in bullet holes instead of us.

I sighed. There weren't going to be anymore pretenses. Black Industries now had no doubts that someone was messing with their plans. I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time I faced them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Sorry about the late update. I seriously was going to update over a week ago, but I was dragged (almost literally) against my will, to go and visit my relatives. There was no computer available for me to use, so don't blame me, blame them. I'll try to update faster.**

**I got lots of interesting reviews for the last chapter, many of which made me laugh. Those of you that review don't need me to tell you how awesome you are. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have continued this story.**

**It turns out that most of you actually searched for a spy or agent story specifically. Only a handful of you had it recommended to you. Thanks for taking the time to answer that question.**

**This story is starting to approach the final sprint. Everything is starting to unfold, and I assure you that the questions you have been asking since the beginning will be resolved. I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, because I'm not sure how many it will take to get out how I want to end this story.**

**I've decided that I'm going to start asking you guys questions. The reason: I want to know more about you guys, and it might motivate you to review. So…what car would you pick for Bella to have? Or would you just keep it as is?**

**If you press the button below cool stuff happens! :P**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

EPOV

My head was pushed into the pillow, and my arm was flung out to the side, searching for the presence of Bella that wasn't there.

I grumbled and opened one sleepy eye, to see that the space in my bed next to me was indeed empty.

I sighed and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with the heels of my palms.

Today was a very important day. Not only was today the championship soccer game, where we were playing the La Push Wolves; but today was also the day that I was going to tell Bella that I loved her.

There was no doubt in my mind anymore that what I was feeling was pure love. I couldn't even begin to imagine my life without Bella in it.

I rolled out of bed and threw on my jeans and a shirt. I threw my soccer uniform in my bag and finished getting ready.

I came downstairs with my backpack and soccer bag in hand and was immediately faced with the smell of bacon, as I stepped into the kitchen.

Alice was standing there, in all her peppiness cooking breakfast. I cleared my throat, alerting her of my presence.

She spun around with a big smile on her face and ushered me into a seat.

I gave her a questioning look and she said, "Today is you championship game, you should have a good breakfast."

She had a certain look in her eye as she put bacon on my plate that said that wasn't the only reason for this special breakfast.

I didn't push it, but gave her a look and started eating my breakfast.

She sat next to me with her own plate and started picking at her food, giving me sly looks every few seconds.

Every time I would catch her looking at me, she would immediately seem very interested in her food.

Once finished with my breakfast, I put our plates in the sink and grabbed my keys, already anxious to go see Bella.

Alice smirked when she noticed my overexcited behavior and seemed to slow her pace, just to piss me off.

I growled under my breath and started pushing her towards the car. She laughed, but started walking at a normal pace nonetheless.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I strode into the school, sunglasses on top of my head, soccer bag strung over one shoulder.

I was still getting looks from people; though today most of the looks I was receiving were not glares.

I opened my locker and got the books I would need for my first class. Upon shutting it again, I was met with Alice's over cheery face, smiling at me in an over exuberant way.

I gave her a wary look and started walking. She easily caught up with me.

"So, are you nervous for the game?" She asked.

I shrugged and said, "Not really." I looked around as we were walking and was aware of a lot more people waving at me. I wasn't used it all, so I just gave them strange looks in return.

"Why are they waving?" I asked in confusion.

She laughed and said, "Because of the soccer game."

I just gave her a confused look in return.

"You are the only reason we've made it to the championships." She said.

"What about Edward?" I asked, laughing when she made the motion with her hand, as if he was of no importance to him.

I cleared my throat and said, "You wouldn't happen to-"

"Lover boy headed to your first class." She said, letting out a breath of air and pointing over her shoulder. "He's already looking for you."

I smiled brighter and readjusted my soccer bag on my shoulder, before striding past her towards my first class.

"So, I guess I'll just see you later!" Alice yelled after me with a smug smirk on her face.

I just waved over my shoulder and picked up my pace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I was waiting outside our first class, rocking back and forth on my heels.

I tried to look over the heads of the people passing by, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of her.

All of the sudden my vision was full of strawberry blonde hair.

Tanya.

"Eddie!" She screeched, making me grimace.

"Hello, Tanya." I said, just to be courteous, when really all I wanted to do was shove her out of the way and find Bella.

"So, the big game is today?" She asked, eyeing my soccer bag.

I just nodded nonchalantly and went on my tiptoes to see over her head.

"Well, I would wish you good luck, but my boyfriend is on the other team." She said, flipping her hair.

"That-that's great Tanya." I said, not even knowing what she said because I spotted Bella.

I smiled and brushed past Tanya, to meet her.

I pulled her into my arms, "I missed you." I told her.

"I just saw you yesterday." She said, but hugged me tighter.

"So? I can't miss my girlfriend?" I asked, a smile tugging at me lips.

"Mmmm…I guess you can." She said as she pulled me down for a kiss. I immediately got lost in it. My hands went to rest on her hips, where my fingers drew random patterns into the small gap of exposed skin. She shivered.

I pulled away with a smirk. Her eyes were narrowed, but they showed no hostility.

I pulled her hand into mine, and started towing her towards the classroom. Our not-so-small make out scene, did not go unnoticed, as I saw strawberry blonde hair disappear quickly from view.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Come on Edward! We're going to be late!" Bella yelled at me.

We were running towards the soccer field; we were supposed to be there forty minutes early to warm up. We were obviously running late, and as captains this was not good.

We reached the field and saw the rest of our team standing in a group on the far side of the field, obviously waiting for us.

"Here, why don't you go change, and I'll run over there and let them know we're here." I told her, hoisting my bag and running over.

"Hey, sorry. The teacher asked both of us to stay behind for a while." I said, slightly out of breath when I got there.

They gave me unbelieving looks, accompanied with smirks.

I looked around, confused.

Tyler just shook his head and said, "Don't even try it Cullen, the whole school saw you with Bella." He laughed, and the rest of the team soon joined him.

My face turned red, but I cleared my throat and said, "I don't know what you're talking about." Before turning around and heading towards the locker room.

I pushed open the locker room door, running a hand through my hair. I turned and walked into the next row of lockers and stopped in my tracks.

I practically felt my jaw hit the floor.

Bella was standing there with her back to me. Without a shirt on.

My eyes traveled over her milky white skin, watching as she reached in her bag and put on her sports bra.

I think the strangled sound I heard came out of my own mouth, because she turned around and smiled at me.

She didn't seem phased at all about the fact that she was standing there in only a pair of shorts and a bra.

"Aren't you going to get changed?" She asked, gesturing to my soccer bag which was slung over my shoulder.

"Huh?...oh! Oh right!" I said, finally being brought out of my fantasies; I was very aware of how my pants were fitting slightly tighter then they were a few minutes ago. I spun around and nearly tripped over my feet as I tried to set my bag down and open it.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as she pulled her hair out of her ponytail, and bent her head over, running her fingers through the tangles.

I was hit with the scent of strawberries, and inhaled deeply.

I could see each knot in her spine, and a few scars. Her body was extremely well toned, the muscles in her back were very obvious.

I realized I was gawking again and quickly changed into my shorts, before pulling my shirt over my shoulders

I grabbed my jersey and stood back up, I looked to my right and noticed Bella, now fully dressed with her hair up, staring at me.

I raised an eyebrow at her; she blushed at having been caught staring and started looking through her bag.

I chuckled to myself and threw my shirt on.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

The blush was still present on my face as we left the locker room. I pulled at the collar of my jersey a little.

Even I had to admit that Edward was in shape. The image of him without his shirt on was still ever present in my mind. He had the beginning of a six pack that my hands were itching to feel.

I breathed out a long breath, now aware that I wouldn't be able to get that image out of my mind for a very long time.

We started warming up by taking a run around the field.

Edward was keeping even with me and soon we were making our last turn around the field.

The other team had finally arrived; and I had to admit, they were pretty impressive. There was one guy in particular, he was obviously their captain. He wasn't as muscular as the rest of them, but he held himself a certain way that told you he was in charge.

Draped over him, was none other then Tanya. '_Figures that she would try to make Edward jealous by dating his enemy. Speaking of which…'_

"Who is that, Edward?" I asked, pointing to the other captain.

I heard Edward growl slightly under his breath, I slowed to a jog and looked at him curiously.

"That's Jacob Black." He said, spite evident in his voice.

I stopped in my tracks.

"Wait, what did you just say his name was?" I asked.

He stopped a few steps after me and said, "Jacob."

"No, his last name." I asked again urgently.

"Black. Why, do you know him?" The way he said, made me think that was the last thing he wanted.

I shook my head, easing his worries. My mind was going in overdrive. Could this possibly be the same 'Black' that was after Edward?

I started walking again, but my senses were on high alert.

Edward must have noticed my stiff posture, because he threw an arm around my shoulder and gave me a one armed hug.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I've just got a lot on my mind." I said, brushing off his worries.

We finished warming up and soon the two teams captains were supposed to meet in the center of the field.

Edward and I waited patiently in the middle of the field for the other team's captain.

I looked over at the stands, aware of the fact that the side with the La Push fans were looking at me and pointing. I sighed; people still couldn't seem to accept the fact that there was in fact a girl on the boy's soccer team.

I turned back around when I heard footsteps approaching.

A few steps later, Jacob Black was standing in front of us. Something inside of me told me that this person was not to be trusted.

"Well well, look what we have here. Long time no see Eddie." He said, laughing.

Edward just glared, his body tense.

"What? No response?" He smirked and looked over at me; I shivered slightly when his eyes raked my body. "Who's this? Your own personal cheerleader?"

"Try again jackass." I said, taking a step forward.

"Ooooh, feisty are we?" He said, then he seemed to notice my uniform.

"You're not serious are you? She's actually on the team?" He was shocked, but then started laughing hysterically.

Edward had to grab me by the shoulders to hold me back.

"Bella, I've already done it and believe me when I say it's not worth it." He said.

I wanted to disagree with him, I'm sure that knocking this guy back a few paces would definitely be worth it. Instead I nodded, but he didn't take his arm off from around my shoulders.

The referee came soon after that and soon the coin was flipped and the other team would be getting the ball first.

This didn't bother me at all. I loved offense, but defense could get bloody too.

I jogged in place, looking over my team to make sure that everyone was in position. Once they were, I looked over at Edward. He gave me a reassuring smile that I couldn't help but return.

I looked up at the sky as it rumbled. It didn't take a psychic to tell that it was going to rain, and soon.

'_Even better, soccer in the mud.'_

My grin of anticipation turned into an all out smile as I felt the first drop hit my cheek.

Edward saw my smile and matched it; he knew how much I liked the rain.

Silence seemed to take over the field as we waited.

At the sound of the whistle, I was off like a bullet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

Bella was incredible to watch.

The previously doubtful crowd was now cheering her on. I sprinted alongside her as she ran head-on towards Jacob, who was at least twice her size.

She may have weighed at least 80 pounds less, but her agility made up for it.

It was almost in slow motion as she picked up her speed, leaned back and slid, kicking the ball away from Jacob in one of the best slide tackles I've ever seen.

I chased after the ball she had just sent loose and started sprinting down the field with it, weaving and turning with it to get past defenders.

Bella had caught back up with me and I passed her the ball. She maneuvered around a few people, then tossed it back to me. A few long strides later the ball was flying into the goal, past the diving goalie.

I pumped my fist in the air in triumph and turned to Bella with a smile. I laughed when I saw that her entire side was covered in mud, knowing fully well that it wouldn't take long for the other side to match it.

She saw what I was looking at and shrugged, though there was a smile tugging at her lips as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The end of the game was nearing and it was what could only be considered pouring.

My hair was sticking to my forehead, and I brushed it out of the way as I tried to figure out a plan.

The score was tied, only because one of their players made a move that should have been red carded, but instead allowed them to make a goal.

To say that Jacob was pissed, would be a very large understatement.

He was yelling at his team more then ever and was sending nasty glares my way. I just laughed, which seemed to infuriate him further.

I wasn't surprised to see Tanya as his new arm candy. She is exactly the kind of girl he would go after. I don't even remember what I saw in her anyways.

I was watching our teammates in defense try to get the ball back from their offense so that they could pass it up to us.

Emmett, out goalie, made an incredible save and drop kicked the ball up the field.

I sprinted after it, my only advantage being the fact that everyone was slipping in the mud and rain.

The clock was ticking down and I knew we didn't have much time if we were going to score.

I started running with it, almost losing it more then once as I lost my footing in the mud.

I looked to my left as I was running and saw Jacob and a few of his teammates hot on my heels. Glancing in the opposite direction, I spotted Bella.

There was only about thirty yards in-between me and their main line of defense. I looked back over at Bella and waved my hand in a foreword motion.

She nodded, obviously understanding what I was planning, and picked up her speed.

She slipped through their defense easily and started sprinting for the goal.

I charged head-on towards their defensive line, and when I was only a couple yards away I pulled my foot back and sent the ball flying over their heads, at an angle towards Bella.

For the second time during the game I felt like things were moving in slow motion. The ball was sailing towards Bella and I watched as she crouched and jumped as high as her body could manage, twisting in mid-air. I, and the rest of the audience, watched in amazement as her foot came in contact with the ball, hitting it with tremendous force.

The goalie didn't stand a chance. She kicked it in the exact upper corner of the goal, a place even I didn't stand a chance of reaching if I jumped as high as I could.

The stands exploded with cheers as the ball sank into the net.

I was yelling right along with them as I ran at her full speed.

She turned around and smiled when she saw me coming.

She shrieked when I picked her up and spun her around a few times. She was laughing when I set her down again.

I grabbed her face in both my hands and gave her a deep kiss.

I felt her arms wrap around my neck, pulling me foreword. All of the sudden both of us were thrown on the ground into the mud by our overexcited teammates.

We were soon on the bottom of a large dog pile, smiling, even though we were now more covered in mud then ever.

I managed to scramble free and grabbed Bella's hand to pull her out. She was laughing as we watched our teammates act like complete fools.

I pulled her closer to me and was instantly struck with a brilliant idea. "Do you want to go somewhere with me tonight?" I asked, pushing a stray strand of wet hair behind her ear.

"Sure, why don't I go home and change and then I'll meet up with you." She said, "Where exactly are we going?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could go to our meadow." I told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leading her off the field.

"Sounds good, just let me go home and shower and I'll meet you there." She said, giving me a small peck on the lips.

We went through the trophy ceremony fairly quickly and soon I was watching Bella drive away in her car.

I quickly got in my own and started heading home quickly, more nervous about what I was about to do then I was for the championship game.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I got out of the shower and pulled on a pair of jeans and a thick coat. The rain had died down but it could start up again at any second.

I had had to take most of my weapons off for the game, but they were all back in place now.

I got in the car and started heading towards the opening of the trail towards the meadow that Edward had taken me to before.

I had on my sturdy shoes, so the walk wasn't that bad. I knew that I wouldn't get lost but it was still a relief when I came to the opening and saw Edward sitting under a tree where the grass was less wet.

"Hey." I called out, alerting him to my presence.

He stood up and smiled at me, and my face soon formed into a smile without even having to think about it.

"Hey." He breathed.

He grabbed my hand and I sat down next to him, leaning our backs against the trunk of the tree.

We started talking about anything that came to mind, and I found myself smiling even more then usual.

He stood up at one point and reached for my hand. I gave him a confused look but let him help me up nonetheless.

"Bella, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while." He said, there was a nervousness behind his words now that I hadn't noticed before.

I swallowed hard, but listened intently.

"You are unlike any girl I have ever dated before. You are more important to me then you could ever imagine." He continued, looking me directly in the eyes.

I felt my mouth go dry. _'oh no'_

"I don't know what I would do without you Bella, my life seemed so bland compared to now."

Tears were starting to gather in the back of my eyes that wouldn't go away. I ran a hand through my hair in distraught.

"I don't know how else to say this." He continued.

"Bella, I love you."

My world felt like it had froze. The tears that had gathered in my eyes spilled over and started running down my cheeks at an alarming rate. I couldn't even remember the last time I cried.

"_Please, don't say that_." I whispered shaking my head.

I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't do this to him.

"But it's true Bella! I love you." He continued, wiping the tears on my cheeks away with his thumbs.

Sobs started retching through me, tearing me apart as I shook my head at him.

"You d-don't mean that. P-Please do-don't say it, you can't love me." I told him, turning my head away.

He grabbed my chin softly and made me look at him.

"Why? Why can't I love you?" He asked quietly.

"Because." I said, my sobs quieting slightly. "It's not the real me that you love."

I had to do this. I couldn't let this keep going; I couldn't do this to him anymore.

"What?" He asked, obviously confused.

I took a deep shaky breath. I was tired of this, I was sick of pretending. I owed him enough to tell him the truth, he needed to know it.

"Edward, I'm not who you think I am."

I could tell he was about to cut me off, but with another shaky breath I stopped him.

"It's no coincidence that I moved here, that I'm in all of your classes, and that I'm on the soccer team with you. It was all planned.

Everything you think you know about me, is a lie." I continued, a few stray tears still ran down my cheeks.

He dropped his arms from my shoulders and took a step back, his face serious.

There was no way I could stop now, even if I wanted to.

With another shaky breath, I started, "I am Isabella Swan, I attend Meyer Academy in California, it's a school specializing in training special agents. I was sent here on a mission…involving you."

I looked into his eyes, frustrated when I saw a look of disbelief.

I waited to see if he was going to say anything.

When he didn't, I continued. "You should believe me, I'm telling the truth. For once."

I was struck by an idea and I reached into my pocket and fished out my ID badge. I tossed it to him, he easily snatched it out of the air and started reading it.

"Bella, this doesn't prove-"

"Okay, then how about this." I said, sliding both of my knives out of their holsters on my forearms and into my palms.

His eyes widened at the sight of the two weapons, and watched as I expertly spun and sent them flying, sinking them into the tree twenty feet to my right; you would have to use some muscle to pull those out.

He was looking at the two blade handles that were sticking out of the tree then back at me.

I had to make sure that he really understood. I had to make him understand that it wasn't me that he was in love with.

My cheeks were still wet as I pulled out my gun from my hip and took out the bullets; his eyes followed both parts as I threw them on the ground. I bent down and unclipped my backup gun from my ankle and did the same thing.

"I've killed people Edward. It's what I was made to do." I told him.

There was silence for a while.

This time when I looked into his eyes, I saw what I should have seen the first time. Fear, and anger. I started to explain.

"When your car blew up-"

"That was you!?!" He said, anger taking over for the moment.

"Well...-" I started to explain, but he cut me off.

"And the dance! When I blacked out…And then there was my dad's office." He said, his brain processing the massive amount of information that I had thrown at him.

"Is that what you're after!?! My dad's company!?!" He yelled, taking a step back from me.

"Well, in a way…" I said.

The look of mixed unbelief and anger he threw at me, made me step back a little.

I just kept chanting in my head, _'He needed to know. He needed to know'_

I felt like my chest was collapsing, I couldn't take that look.

"Edward, I was sent here to protect you-" I told him, but was cut off once again.

"Why should I believe you!?! You've been lying to me this whole time!"

I winced.

'_He needed to know. He needed to know that he can't love me.'_

It was silent for a few seconds before it was broken.

"_Was any of it real?_" He whispered, but I didn't quite hear him.

"What?"

"Was. Any. Of. It. Real!?!" He asked, his voice many notches louder.

I finally understood what that feeling in my chest was.

It was my heart breaking.

'_I can't let him know, I have to do this. I'm sorry.'_

"No." I said, my voice only had the slightest tremor.

The word felt thick on my tongue. It was a lie.

Silence ticked by for a long time; I breathed in shaky breathes.

"Your right." I looked up at him, staring into his green eyes. "I don't love you."

He brushed past me and before I could even think, he was gone.

I stood there for a few moments after he was gone, simply in shock of what I had done.

My eyes filled with tears again as I took in lungfulls of air, practically gasping for breath.

I didn't even bother trying to wipe away the streams of tears that were running down my face.

I just kept telling myself, _'He had to know, it was the right thing to do.'_

My entire body felt numb with the ache of what I did. All my thoughts swirled together until I could hardly think anymore.

I felt my knees give way beneath me, and I sank into the wet grass.

I had let him go for one reason and one reason only.

I loved him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Okay, so I know that all you guys hate me right now and want to start a riot against this chapter. Some of you even said that if I did it like this it would ruin the story for you. Well, sorry about that. I've actually been planning this chapter from the beginning; it's a very important part of the story. So…deal with it.**

**I got some really good answers to the question I asked in the last chapter. Some of my favorite answers for 'What kind of car would you pick for Bella?' would have to be the ****Lamborghini Reventon and the Lamborghini Murcialargo. I have to agree with those of you who posted these cars, they are pretty kick ass. **

**So, this chapters question is… 'Bella uses many weapons in this story, if you had to pick one as your weapon of choice, what would it be?'**

**Please try not to harass me about the late updates. I am very sorry, but school has restarted and I have practically no free time. I'll try to update as fast as I can, because I know that you guys are all excited for the next chapter, and you have a good reason to be. **

**Please try not to hate me in your reviews. :P**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

BPOV

For once in my life, I had no idea what to do.

The feeling when you realize that you're in love with someone, but there's nothing you can do, is heartbreaking.

Having never really felt this feeling before ever in my life, it came at me by surprise.

I felt ecstatic that I was in love, but heartbroken that it was going to be taken away so quickly.

Yesterday I had cried for the first time in my memory. I felt like all of my emotions were pouring out of me, having been locked up for so long.

I sucked it up enough to get in my car and head to school, not sure how I was going to be received once I got there.

Everything may be going wrong but I still had a job to do; I couldn't let my emotions get in the way of protecting Edward.

I couldn't keep leading him on; he wasn't in love with me. He was in love with the act I had been putting on.

As much as my heart ached, I loved him enough to let him go.

I got out of my car and my eyes scanned the parking lot. I had no idea if he would expose me for what I really was, but even if he did, I still had an obligation to protect him.

I spotted his car pulling into the opposite side of the parking lot.

I watched with sad, longing eyes as he got, alongside Alice.

Alice saw me looking and waved, bright and cheery as always.

I didn't wave back, and when Edward saw exactly who it was she was waving too he put an arm around her shoulder and steered her away without a single glance at me.

My heart tore a little more.

Alice threw him a confused look and gave me the same one over her shoulder.

'_I guess he hasn't told her'_

I trudged to class, avoiding the eyes of the classmates I was supposed to be blending in with.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Edward didn't even look at me the entire day. And when I got to the class where I was supposed to sit next to him, I found that he had changed seats.

I just kept telling myself that this was how it had to be, and that it was everything I deserved.

'_Maybe I should just leave. Have someone else come in and replace me.'_

I looked up to where Edward was sitting; his back turned away from me.

'_Yeah, that would be the smart thing to do.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I examined my face in the mirror when I got home.

I had bags under my eyes from the lack of sleep from last night, and my face was paler than usual.

I pulled out suitcases and started throwing clothes in. I couldn't stay here any longer.

I had a majority of my stuff thrown in and was making my way to my weapons room when I pulled out my phone.

Aro picked up on the second ring.

"Agent Swan." He greeted.

"Aro." I replied in my monotonous tone.

He immediately picked up on my tone.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think I need to get a replacement agent up here." I told him as I started to punch the ID code into.

"What? What happened?" He asked, slightly frantic.

I was about to answer him when the doorbell rang.

"Hold on a minute Aro, I'll call you back." I told him distractedly as I closed my phone and headed back downstairs.

I opened the door, and was stunned.

Alice was standing on my porch, in utter hysterics.

"Oh my god. Alice, what's wrong?" I asked, ushering her into the house.

"The-they-he's" She was rambling and stuttering so much I had to grab her shoulders.

"Alice! You have to calm down and tell me what's wrong!" I shook her a little.

She took a deep breath, but was still shaking, "They took him."

"What?" I asked, not understanding.

"They took Edward." She said, tears streaming down her face.

My world froze.

"Who!?! Who took him Alice!?!" I yelled, shaking her further.

She shook her head, "I-I don't know. They just came up and grabbed him at the house. They had guns and I was scared. I just drove here because I didn't know what else to do."

Anger coursed through my veins. I was angry at the men who took him, angry at myself for not keeping track of Edward because I was too focused on my own feelings.

I had to get him back.

It wasn't for me.

No, it was so that I could end this once and for all.

"What can we do Bella?" She cried, "They said if I called the police that they'd kill him!"

She was sobbing by now.

"Alice." I started my voice venomous, "There's plenty I can do."

She looked up at me, "What?"

I looked at her, my eyes emotionless, "I'm going to get your brother back."

She seemed speechless at my haunted tone.

Without another word, I briskly walked upstairs.

I bursted into my room, letting the door slam against the inside wall. I immediately found the pair of dark pants and long-sleeved shirt that had been my only companion on missions.

I pulled them on and strode out of my room with the same intensity and nearly bumped into Alice.

"Bella? What are you-" She started but I was too focused to even realize she said anything.

I walked down the hall and punched in the security code for my weapons storage room, scanning my palm on the screen as well.

Once the green light turned on, I turned the handle and strode inside, flipping on the light in the process.

I grasped one of the bags that was hanging on a hook to my left and started throwing in all the guns and explosives I could get my hands on.

Soon my bag was full and I had to grab another one.

"Oh my god. Bella, what is all this?" Alice said, having followed me inside.

"This." I said, holding up one of my guns and strapping it to arm, "Is what I do."

Once I had at least four guns on my body and six knives of various sizes; I grabbed my bags and left the room.

The only thing left in the storage room were my tazers, I was going for permanent damage this time.

I took the stairs two at a time, finally reaching the front door.

"Bella wait!" I heard Alice behind me.

I had one foot out the door when I turned around, my stone expression softening a little bit.

"Who are you?" She asked once she caught up with me. The tone wasn't accusing or angry, it was gentle and curious, like a puzzle she was trying to figure out.

"I'm the person who's going to get your brother back." I told her, no doubt in my voice at all.

She nodded, tears starting to gather in her eyes once again.

I took one last long look at her, my eyes softening as I took in the sad face of my first true friend.

"Goodbye Alice."

I strode out the door; she had no idea of the weight those words held.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I sat in my car and took a deep breath. I needed to focus.

Emotions could come later.

I reopened my eyes and the anger was back.

There was no way they were getting away with this. I was getting him back at any means necessary.

Black Industries wasn't going to know what hit them.

I shifted my Maserati into drive and peeled out of the neighborhood, leaving tire marks in my wake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was going at least ninety-five down the highway, leaving a trail of honks and screeches behind me.

I was following the GPS on my phone. It was telling me that he was twenty miles due north. He was stationary, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

Everything was fuzzy and spinning.

I blinked a few times, trying to get the room to stop turning.

"What the-" I winced, my head was pounding.

"Well good morning sunshine." Came a voice to my left; I blinked a few more times and the room finally stopped spinning.

I was met with the sight of an unknown face that was too close to mine for my liking.

I just looked at him in confusion.

I was now slightly more aware of my surroundings, or at least aware enough to realize that I was tied to a chair in a dark room.

"Where am I?" I croaked out, my throat slightly rough.

"You don't remember?" The man asked with a vicious smile.

I looked at him hard for a second, then everything seemed to rush back at once.

I was at home talking to Alice, the door burst open and the last thing I remember was being hit on the back of the head with something, and then darkness after that.

The man grinned.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He ignored my question, "Do you have any idea how long we've been trying to get at you?" He asked, but the question was obviously rhetorical.

"Every time we got this close," He held his thumb and index finger about an inch apart, "you slipped through our fingers."

I was starting to get worried. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this.

He left me alone, exiting out of the small room, slamming the metal door shut behind him.

I took a deep breath, trying to get my mind working properly.

Then it hit me.

'_Bella._

_Of course. The day after she exposes herself I get taken.'_ I almost wanted to laugh. _'She's probably behind this whole thing.'_

I was angry. I felt like an idiot for letting her fool me. '_I fell right into her trap, and look where it's gotten me'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

I was getting closer.

The hum of my engine changing gears was the only sound that I heard.

For once in my life I was doing something spontaneous.

I had no plan, just anger.

I was sure that at this point it was strong enough to get me through anything.

I got there, wherever 'there' was, within a half hour.

I slowed to a crawl about a hundred yards away. It looked like some sort of storage warehouse.

The building was pretty big, but only one story. I estimated twenty foot high walls made of mainly metal sheets.

There was a chain link fence about twenty yards out, but with the plan I had in mind, it was hardly a nuisance.

What I had in mind could hardly be considered a plan, it was brute force.

I was going against every way a spy should think; instead of working a way around their security, my anger was going to break right through it.

I revved my engine and got ready.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I had been in the room by myself for a while trying desperately to find a way out. But much to my avail there didn't seem to be one.

I was stuck in here.

I jumped slightly when the door opened and the same man came back in from before.

"What do you want from me?" I yelled, angry.

"Oh, it's not you we want anything from. Your father is the one to blame for your current situation." He chuckled.

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just let him continue.

"He owes some money to my boss, and refused to pay up. So my boss decided to make it a little more…personal. And if someone hadn't been getting in the way, we would have been able to grab you a long time ago."

"Which leads me to my next question. How have you been avoiding us for so long?"

My mind was still processing the information about my father that he had given me. I shook my head at him because I didn't know what to say.

His fist pulled back and came in contact with the side of my face.

I spit out a little bit of blood and felt my cheek start to swell.

"I'm telling you, I have no idea what you're talking about!" I yelled, angry and in pain.

The door opened again and this time the man that walked in was one that I recognized. Billy Black, CEO of Black Industries, father of Jacob Black, and arch nemesis of my father.

"Hello, Edward." He grinned, his tone the least bit friendly.

I growled at him under my breath.

He chuckled, "Don't be angry with me, it's your father you should blame. So, as soon as he returns his money to me, we'll work on negotiating your release."

"How much money?" I asked with bated breath.

"About seventy-five million. Or at least, that's how much my company was worth before he cheated me into bankruptcy." He told me.

My heart beat increased exponentially, "He's not going to pay it, no matter what you do."

My statement seemed to anger him, but the expression was gone as quickly as it came.

"Well, I hope for your sake, you're wrong." With that, he left the room.

It was just me and the other guy in the room now.

The silence was making me angry, I was tired of people pushing me around.

"So where does Bella fit in to your plan?" I spat at him, trying to get any information I could.

"Bella? Who the hell is Bella?" He asked.

"Isabella Swan. The girl that works for you, who's been conning me for the past few months." I spat, anger still my main emotion.

He stood up abruptly, knocking the chair he was sitting on backwards.

He rushed up and grabbed my collar, his face only a couple inches from my own.

"What was that name!?!" He spat in my face, shaking me.

I detected a hint of fear in his eyes.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"The name!?!" He yelled.

"Isabella Swan?" I told him, confused to no end.

"Shit!" He immediately strode over to the counter where they had put my phone.

I ripped off the backing, what he found made the blood drain from his face.

He smashed my phone against the ground in anger, making me jump.

"How could she possibly be here? Shit, he's going to kill me." He mumbled to himself.

He turned to look at me; I winced, hoping that I wouldn't be the outlet of his anger.

His fist pulled back but never made contact.

There was a large exploding sound loud enough to make the building shake slightly, followed by lots of yelling.

The man, obviously forgetting about me, grabbed a gun off the shelf behind him and rushed out of the room.

I was both worried and frightened; here I was unable to move, and I had no idea what was going on out there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV (A few minutes earlier)

I revved my engine again and took a deep breath.

This wasn't about my feelings or emotions; I knew that I had no right to feel anything for Edward after what I did to him. This was about bringing him back for his family and bringing down Black Industries at the same time.

I cracked my knuckles, put my sunglasses on, and pressed my foot to the pedal.

My car lived up to its name and accelerated at an alarming rate.

I didn't even blink when I went through the fence and was now going at the building at over a hundred miles an hour.

I was barely aware of bullets ricocheting off my window; obviously my car had been spotted.

About twenty feet from the building I opened my door, grabbed one of the weapons bags and jumped out.

Once I stopped rolling I covered my head with my arms just as my car made contact with the side of the building and exploded.

I had left all my explosives and C-4 in the other bag, so when the car crashed and the engine exploded, it triggered all the other explosives.

Thus leaving me with a large opening into the building.

I stood up once most of the building's debris had stopped falling and pulled out two guns from the holsters on my belt.

I walked through the opening that I made, which was large enough to drive a truck through and currently on fire. Using both of the weapons in my hands, I started shooting.

I only saw glimpses of what was happening through the smoke, making it easier to keep moving.

My vision was red with hatred as I started running forward. The building was bigger than I expected and was full of ramps and hallways.

I was almost positive that Edward was being held towards the back.

'_I guess I'm just going to have to fight my way through'_

I was in full agent mode now, quick and unstoppable.

I was twisting and turning, letting bullets fly in every direction.

There were at least eight guys shooting at me as and the number was quickly reduced to one with my good aim.

I could hear fast heavy footsteps approaching from one of the halls as I approached the man. He was out of bullets and was frantically searching his pockets for more.

I walked up the ramp and approached him, using my boot to kick him in the chest and knock him down onto his back.

I pointed my gun at him, "Where is he!?!" My tone was threatening enough but the gun helped.

My boot was pressed into his chest, adding enough pressure to keep him pinned to the floor.

The footsteps were getting louder, and I still didn't have an answer.

'_screw this'_

I hit him with the back of my gun and knocked him out.

I stood back up and reloaded my gun quickly.

I jumped over the railing of the ramp just as more of their 'security' came out of the tunnel.

I rolled into a crouch and continued firing.

I hit most of them in the shoulder or chest, letting them drop like flies.

I ran at them head on and used one as a shield to get through the rest.

I was in the middle of a few of them. I jabbed one of their guns back into their forehead and kicked another's feet out from another one.

I pointed my gun at one of them, I pulled the trigger but nothing happened. I was out of bullets for the two guns in my hands. I flattened myself to the floor as bullets from his gun flew over my head.

I rolled and whipped out one of my belt knives, throwing it as I stood.

He went down with a cry of pain; I retrieved my refills of bullets from my belt and reloaded the two guns.

I took a deep breath and kept running through the tunnel, rolling and twisting out of the paths of multiple bullets.

I picked up my speed, still shooting over my shoulder and ahead of me whenever I needed to.

I started busting down any door I saw, only glancing in long enough to make sure that Edward wasn't there.

It was a maze of concrete tunnels and ramps, but I just kept running, I would find my way out somehow.

There was only one thing I was sure about; I wasn't leaving without Edward.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

The sound of gunfire was getting louder on the other side of the door.

I twisting my wrists, trying to break through the ties, much to my disappointment, they didn't budge.

I could hear lots of shouting now, along with the steady pound of footsteps.

I was afraid to yell out, whoever was out there had a gun, I wasn't about to let them know I was in here.

The sound of gunfire ceased, and in its place I heard a few crashes.

Sweat was breaking out on my forehead as the sounds grew louder.

I jumped when the door to the room I was in was bursted open.

The light that poured in behind them didn't allow me to see their face.

They stopped once they spotted me, and ran forward.

I flinched, expecting a fist or a gun; instead I found them cutting at the ties behind me.

"Let's go Edward. We have to get out of here."

I would know that voice anywhere; it still made my heart skip a beat.

"Bella!?!" I turned, my eyes widening. I was even more confused now, why would someone who has been trying to kill me, let me go?

"Now Edward, we can talk later." Her voice was like stone, she wouldn't even look at me as she kicked the door open again and slipped out with her gun pointed forward.

I was confused, but not confused enough to make my escape when given the chance.

Bella had turned left outside the door; so I turned right and started running. There were a few unconscious men, still holding their guns, lying across the hallway; I picked up my pace.

I felt a hand grab my collar and stop me.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed Edward!?!" She finally looked me in the eye, her eyes were like stone.

"Let me go Bella. Besides, I thought you wanted me dead." I asked her, venom lacing my words.

She reloaded a set of bullets into one of her guns, then looked up at me under her eyelashes, making my heart stutter. "I've already told you Edward; I'm the good guy here."

She noticed my hesitation to follow her.

"If you don't come with me right now, I'm going to have to drag you. Believe me, it will be a lot less painful if it's voluntary on your part." She said, gesturing over her shoulder.

My eyes shifted to the two guns in her hands and I realized I really was in no position to argue.

I started following her down the hallway. It was probably better this way; I could already hear footsteps coming from the direction I had previously run in.

"How did you find me?" I asked

"Can't we talk about this once I get us out of here?" She said, her eyes glancing at me briefly.

"No. You say you're the good guy here. Why should I believe you?" I reasoned, stubbornness coming out of my voice.

She stopped and let out a deep breath.

She turned around to face me; "The first day you met me, I planted three microchips connected to the GPS on my phone."

I was stunned; I wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Where exactly did you plant them?" I asked, increasing my pace to keep up with her.

"Well." She started, glancing around a corner before gesturing for me to follow her. "There's one in your phone. One in your shoe and you swallowed the last one."

"What!?!"

She shushed me urgently, "Believe it or not, it was harder to get the tracker into your phone and shoe. I had to do it when I broke into your house a while back."

I gaped at her.

I was about to ask what else she did when she started shooting around the next corner.

I jumped at the sound and pressed myself against the wall.

After a few moments her hand grabbed onto my shirt and dragged me along with her.

We ran past multiple bodies, I noticed that Bella didn't even spare them a glance.

We came out into a rather large open area inside the building. I noticed a few ramps leading up to higher levels and some that went down.

We were walking across the middle of the opening, I watched Bella very carefully.

She moved slower, her eyes shifted in every direction. Our breathing sounded loud in the empty room.

I noticed that her footsteps were silent, while mine were loud and awkward.

All of the sudden she froze, straightened and spun around.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me over the ledge leading to one of the down ramps just as the sound of gunfire resumed once again.

I was starting to believe what she said about being on my side.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

Plaster rained down over our heads as gunfire peeled it off the walls.

"Stay down." I told him fiercely. I didn't need him getting shot for being an idiot.

However, he seemed to be perfectly fine with keeping his head down.

I put my gun on top of the ledge and sent a few bullets flying.

Due to my excellent aim, my bullets easily met their targets, and I saw people falling from the above ramp and others collapsing where they stood.

The thought of maybe giving a gun to Edward crossed my mind, but I didn't think his aim would be good enough in this situation.

I was running low on bullets, and these guys didn't seem to be slowing down.

I needed to get Edward out of here.

I noticed that my emotions were starting to poke at my conscious mind, demanding to be let in.

I glanced at Edward below me, covering his head from the gunfire, my heart clenched.

All I needed to do was get him out of here, and then I could let him go.

He deserved better than me. I loved him enough to respect that.

I seemed to draw strength and focus from that fact, and soon the only sound heard was my labored breathing.

I spotted a possible exit on the other side of the room and grabbed Edward.

With my guns still pointed forward; I kept Edward close to me as we advanced to the other side of the room.

I heard shuffling behind us and immediately put Edward behind me and sent bullets out of my gun at rapid fire.

Bullets missed me by inches, but I was able to keep Edward out of their range.

As the last one went down, I noticed that I was out of bullets.

This was not good.

I tossed the gun to the side, and grabbed for Edward, we were going to have to make a run for it.

I spun around to start running when I stopped in my tracks.

"So, this is the infamous Special Agent Isabella Swan."

I narrowed my eyes at Billy Black.

He wasn't holding a weapon but I pulled Edward behind me just in case.

"The last time I heard of you, you were in charge of assassinating the head of a drug cartel in New Mexico." He continued, giving me a sickening smile.

The fact that he knew about me was enough to really put me on edge.

Edward tried to take a step out from behind me but I threw my arm out and stopped him.

"So Edward, how much about miss Swan here do you actually know?" He taunted.

I grinded my teeth together, thankful when Edward didn't answer.

"Is it true what they say." He said, talking to me this time, "That you are one of the greatest spies this country has ever seen."

"Believe what you want Black." I spat.

"Ah, but even you couldn't figure it out." He taunted more. "I bet it just tortured you that you had no idea who was feeding us information from the inside."

I said nothing.

He seemed to find my silence as motivation to continue, "Tanya was the one who would give us all the information we needed on a certain Edward here. You must agree Edward, that she can be quite persuasive."

I felt Edward tense behind me.

As a matter of fact, that didn't come as a surprise to me. I think it was the fact that it was so obvious that made it so unbelievable.

"Why did you try to kill Edward at first?" I asked, changing the topic off of Edward's ex-girlfriend.

He smiled making my skin crawl slightly, "Well, at first I just wanted revenge. But then I thought 'Why not get revenge and the money?'."

"You appearing today tells me exactly why my tries at capturing Edward were turned against me. In fact, even two of my people went missing. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now would you miss Swan?"

I swallowed.

"So tell me Edward," He said, looking over my shoulder to wear I could feel Edward's presence, "Did you fall for her tricks too, like so many before you?"

Edward tensed again behind me

"Don't listen to him Edward." I said in an icy tone, sending a glare of hatred towards Black.

"But why not? Do you not lie for a living Miss Swan? Isn't it what you were made to do? Well, besides kill people." He said, chuckling slightly as he took in the room around him; his own security personnel lying on the floor.

He raised his eyes to look at me. I raised my head and met his look straight on.

"You're wrong."

I watched his eyes; it was when they shifted to the right only a centimeter, looking past my opposite shoulder, that I understood what was about to happen.

My pupils widened, without a second thought, I let instinct take over.

In an almost slow motion I slid two knives out into the palms of my hands.

I spun, twisting my arms outward as I sent the left one sailing towards Black. Still turning, I forced Edward behind me and let the other blade fly; it left my palm at the same time the sound of a gunshot rang out.

I saw light reflect off the blade as it sailed through the air and made contact with the intended target.

He fell to his knees before me.

I was faintly aware of a pain in my upper left chest.

My breathing began to become labored.

My vision swam before me. I put my hand to where the pain was radiating from; I felt an almost confused fascination when I looked at my hand to find it covered in blood.

I stumbled. Realization dawned on me; I had been hit by the bullet. I had pulled Edward behind me just in time to save him.

I thought I heard someone say my name, but it was starting to go a little bit fuzzy.

I stumbled again and started to feel like I was falling.

The floor rose up before me, but before I could make contact with it, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me and lifted me up.

I blinked a few times in confusion. I could hear the blood rushing in my ears; my heart was pounding faster than ever.

Then someone's face was in front of me, they seemed to be saying something but the words were muffled.

That seemed to trigger something.

I could hear my own gasping breath as I tried to remember what was so important that I had to say.

"_Bella_" It sounded like it was coming from underwater.

My entire body felt numb, I blinked slowly.

"Bella." The voice sounded a little bit louder now.

I blinked a few more times and Edward's face came into focus in front of me.

It was then that my mind seemed to have a sudden comprehension because I remembered what it was that I needed to say. What I needed to tell him.

My eyes searched and found his bright green ones.

I was immediately captured.

I felt unconsciousness start to flow over the outer portions of my mind.

"I love you Edward…"

Darkness swept across my vision, capturing me in its oblivion.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Don't freak out, it's not over yet! I know you all hate me even more then last week because this cliff-hanger is even worse. But again, I have been planning this chapter since the beginning. **

**So, how bad do you guys want the next chapter? I already know what's going to happen, it's you guys that need me to update.**

**Again, try not to hate me (or threaten me) in your reviews. :P**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT **

EPOV

Time seemed to slow.

One second, Bella was standing in front of me, and the next we'd switched places and I heard the sound of a gunshot.

I didn't know what was happening.

I saw Billy Black fall and turned to watch the same thing happen to a man that had been standing behind me.

Bella was facing him with her back to me.

I called out her name but got no response.

I was going to try again when I saw her stumble and begin to fall.

Terrified, I rushed forward and caught her before she made contact with the ground.

It was then that I understood.

I noticed, horrified, that her entire front was covered in blood.

'_The man behind me…that was the gunshot…'_

She had saved me.

I couldn't even think about anything other than her; it was as if my mind was able to process no other information.

I could hear her raspy breaths; her face was much paler.

"Bella." I tried to get her to look at me, I was terrified.

She didn't respond.

"Bella!" I yelled louder, nearly pleading with her.

She blinked slowly a few times, but her eyes found mine.

I was immediately drowning in her eyes, the deep brown drawing me in.

"I love you Edward…" I heard her whisper.

I took in a shaky unbelieving breath, watching as her eyes closed.

"Bella" I said, trying to understand whether or not I just imagined what she just said.

But she didn't respond.

I tried again, but still received no answer.

I looked down and noticed her wound was bleeding profusely; I had to get her out of there.

I had to get help.

Determined, I lifted her up, cradling her light body in my arms.

I walked out of the exit we had been previously heading towards, noticing that the sky had gone very dark and cloudy, almost as if it were on purpose.

I looked down at Bella, she was losing blood quickly.

I started walking faster.

There was nothing out here, no cars, no people. Nothing.

There was a main road, but I didn't think I wanted to chance it if there were any more of Blacks henchmen out looking for us.

I started walking in the wooded area parallel to the road, making sure to keep just hidden enough that I could still see it.

I walked for a few minutes before I couldn't help but glance down at Bella, my heat clenched.

I knew I didn't have many options.

I would somehow have to call someone.

My cell phone was lying on the ground, broken somewhere in the building behind me.

I couldn't give up though. An idea hit me then and I started searching Bella's pockets for her cell phone.

I finally found the sliver of metal that she used for a phone and tried turning it on.

My fingers were shaking in my haste.

But it wouldn't turn on.

I set Bella down carefully on the grass to free my hands. After a few more random clicks I got something to pop up.

It opened up some sort of keypad, but it was no victory.

I didn't have whatever code it needed to get by, only Bella knew it.

I tried punching in random numbers, but they got me nowhere.

"Damn it!" I threw the phone down in frustration.

I was about to pick Bella up again and start walking when something caught my eye.

When I had thrown the phone down, the back cover had come off, revealing a button that read: PUSH IN EMERGENCY

I grabbed at it hastily, nearly letting it slip through my fingers more than once.

I pushed it.

Nothing happened.

I pushed it again.

Still nothing.

I was starting to get even more worried than before; I sank to the grass in defeat.

I didn't know how I was going to save her; I was starting to lose hope.

I ran a hand through my hair and looked at Bella, her breathing was slower and less even. I was briefly aware of tears rolling down my cheeks as I picked Bella up in a new determination and started walking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was still walking fifteen minutes later, I had found that every time my arms would feel just the slightest bit tired all I would have to do was look down at Bella and I would find new reserves of strength.

Her wound was still bleeding, it wasn't starting to clot which wasn't good; if I didn't get her help soon I wasn't sure she would make it.

I heard tires screeching nearby and froze.

No doubt it was some of Black's men out looking for us.

I backed up further into the trees and waited with bated breath.

I heard a few twigs cracking and shrank further back into the trees.

I held Bella close to me, not even caring that her blood was staining my shirt.

"Agent Swan." I heard a female voice call out.

I held my breath, afraid to be heard.

"Bella!" She called louder.

I took a step back and a twig cracked under my foot.

It only took about a second for the mysterious girl to run around the corner of the tree and find me.

She pointed her gun at me with a glare, but once she saw Bella in my arms her façade dropped and she rushed forward.

"Put her down right now!" She yelled, still pointing her gun at me.

There was no way in hell I was letting Bella go, so I just hugged her to me tighter and stepped back.

"I said, Put Her Down!" She yelled at me again.

She glared at me for a while, then a thought seemed to hit her.

"Wait a second. Are you Edward?" She asked lowering her gun a centimeter.

I wasn't sure if I should tell her the truth or not, but she seemed to figure it out for herself because she put her gun away and started talking again, this time pulling out a badge that looked similar to the one that Bella had shown me.

"My name is Casey, I work with Bella." She noticed my hesitation and continued. "Please, I have to hurry and get her to a hospital!"

I wasn't sure if I trusted her but it was my best shot right now.

I seemed to finally find my voice.

"I'm not letting her go without me." I told her.

She nodded and started running back towards the road with me hot on her heels.

"I couldn't leave you behind even if I wanted to. It's my job to protect you right now since she's unable to." Her voice cracked the tiniest but at the end.

We ran to her car which was parked in the middle of the road with the engine still running.

I climbed into the back, still cradling Bella.

The other girl, Casey, jumped into the front seat and pressed her foot to the pedal, making the tires screech.

"I'm going to need you to do exactly what I tell you, okay?" She asked, her voice urgent.

She didn't wait for me to respond.

"You need to add pressure to the wound to keep any more blood from being released."

I hastily put my palm over the wound and pressed down.

She glanced back to make sure that I was doing it correctly.

"Okay, now you need to check her breathing and her pulse."

I nodded at her in the rear view mirror and started counting Bella's breaths to make sure they were normal.

They were shallow and short but they came constantly which was a good sign.

I put my index and middle fingers on the vein in her neck and started measuring her pulse.

"It's uneven." I told her frantically, sure that that couldn't possibly be good.

The only response I got to that was for her to press down on the pedal harder. I was sure that by now we were going at least eighty five.

I kept adding pressure to the wound, keeping my eyes on Bella to see if there was any change in her demeanor.

But she was still unconscious.

I pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and ran my fingertips down her pale cheeks; I frowned with worry when I did not see the usual blush that often came up.

"_Please wake up._" I whispered to her, somehow praying that she would hear me.

I wiped at my eyes and looked up in time to see Casey's eyes quickly shift away in the rear view mirror telling me that she had heard me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was taking much longer then I liked but soon we were on the main roads, yet still going over eighty miles per hour.

I heard sirens and looked out the back window.

"We have a problem." I told her, noticing at least three police cars right on our heels.

I saw her eyes glance in the rear view mirror, but she didn't look any more worried then she already was.

She didn't give an answer to my comment, instead just increased the speed we were going.

I looked at her like she was insane, flinching as she ran through red light after red light, narrowly missing passing cars, leaving a trail of honks and screeches behind us.

"You may want to hold on Edward." She told me right before she spun the wheel to the left, making us skid around the corner.

I was nearly thrown against the door, but managed to grip onto the seat in time.

Cars would pull over quickly once they heard the sirens, almost as if the police were giving us a personal escort.

"We're almost there." She said, almost as if to herself.

I could see the hospital was not far off and we were quickly closing the distance in-between.

The police were still behind us as we spun into the emergency lane.

She slammed on the brakes and I had to stop myself from flying forward.

As soon as I was able to I threw the door open and started running through the front door.

"I need a doctor!" I yelled, briefly aware of Casey behind me, "Please someone help me!"

The doctors in the emergency lobby immediately responded and I was soon placing her down on a gurney.

One of the doctors got out his stethoscope and took her heartbeat.

"We need to get her to an OR, stat." Said the doctor, the others nodded and started pushing her gurney down a hallway; "What happened?" the same doctor asked me as we started running down the hall in the direction they were pushing the gurney.

"She was shot. I tried to stop the bleeding, but it didn't seem to work." He nodded as if this seemed to confirm his theory.

I looked at him frantically; I needed to know if she was going to be alright.

"She'll be okay, right? I mean, you can save her?" My voice cracked.

He looked at me with sad but determined eyes; "I'm going to try."

It wasn't the answer I was hoping for, in fact, it seemed to make me more worried then I already was.

They pushed her gurney into a set of double doors; when I tried to follow the doctor stopped me and shook his head.

"I'm sorry; you're going to have to wait out here. We'll let you know as soon as something happens." He told me.

I tried to push past him. Didn't he understand that she needed me in there? That I needed to be in there to make sure that she came out okay?

I started to argue when someone grabbed my arm, I turned around and was met with Casey's sad eyes, "Edward."

I took one long look in through the window, my heart clenched as I watched them put an oxygen mask over Bella's face.

I nodded and wiped the tears away that were running down my cheeks at an alarming rate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was sitting in the private waiting room with my head in my hands. The tears had stopped but I still felt emptiness inside my chest.

I picked up my head and saw Casey looking at me from the chair across from me.

"You should get yourself checked out." She said, gesturing to the blood on my shirt.

"The blood isn't mine." I told her, my voice raw.

My statement didn't seem to make her feel any better.

We were the only ones in the room; the only other noise was a TV in the corner that was playing soap opera reruns.

"I don't suppose you want to tell me what happened?" She asked.

I took a deep breath but nodded and started telling her, when I was getting to the point in the story where Bella took the bullet for me my voice started to crack and I put my head in my hands.

'_Why did she do that?'_ I asked myself, swallowing hard.

I was brought out of my self-loathing when the door opened and the doctor came in.

I abruptly stood up and looked at him anxiously.

He saw my look and made the motion with his hands for me to sit down.

I didn't want to, but listened to him anyways, sitting back down in the chair.

"We've started surgery." He began, looking at me then at Casey, "but she's going to be in there for at least a few more hours."

I nodded at him to continue.

"We managed to get the bullet out, but that's not the problem we were worried about. See, when she was shot, the bullet nicked an artery in her chest, causing a majority of the blood loss she experienced. We'll patch her up the best we can, but she may have lost too much blood. I'm sorry."

It took a few moments for all her said to sink in.

I was frozen in terror.

My mouth had gone dry; my mind processing things at a million miles per hour.

"Does she have any family we can call, to tell them what's happening?" He asked, it took me a few moments to process what he had asked because I was still thinking about what he said previously.

Casey answered for me, "No, she doesn't; but I know some people that I should call to tell them about the situation."

He nodded at her and left the room.

I put my head in my hands and tried to take a deep breath.

I heard Casey talking in the corner, briefly hearing her say words like 'Aro' and 'the Academy', both of which made no sense to me so I stopped trying to eavesdrop.

My mind kept replaying the scene over and over again in my mind.

The sound of the gunshot still rang in my ears.

I closed my eyes and sighed.

"_Why did she do it?"_ I whispered to myself.

"Because she's in love with you."

I picked my head up quickly and looked at Casey who had sat down again across from me.

"I know. She told me." I said, remembering back to right before she lost consciousness.

"And what? You didn't believe her?" Casey said, giving me an incredulous look.

"I didn't know what to think. I was so angry at her when she told me that it wasn't the real her I had come to know." I said, thinking about when she had revealed the truth to me.

"You still don't get it." She said, shaking her head at me, "She may have told you that she has been lying to you this whole time and that she's been acting like a different person, but that's a lie. You're probably the first person that has ever seen the real Bella Swan. So, if she told you she loved you, she meant it."

She sat back and started flipping through her phone, letting me absorb the information she just gave me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hours passed.

At one point I worked up the nerve to call Alice and tell her what happened, and soon she was sitting next to me in the waiting room, trying to get as much information out of me as possible.

After a while she gave up and left me to my thoughts, of which I had many.

Memories were running across my mind like a film; I was remembering the first time I saw Bella. What an ass I was. When she joined the soccer team. Our first date…Our first kiss.

I could now practically feel the rain that poured down on us so many months ago in our meadow, I could feel her eyelashes brushing my cheeks yet again.

Many more memories followed that one and the numbness inside melted a little bit, but I knew it wouldn't go away completely until she was sitting beside me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV (Many hours later)

I heard a constant beeping sound that seemed to be getting louder and louder; or maybe it was the fact that I was just becoming more aware of it.

"Edward…" I whispered but got no response.

'_Where am I?'_

I opened my eyes a millimeter, which seemed to take all my energy, but immediately shut them when I was faced with a bright light.

I waited a few seconds before reopening them and squinting while trying to let them adjust to the light.

I blinked a few times before everything came into focus.

I looked around and found the source of the beeping; it was a heart rate monitor.

I followed one of the many wires with my eyes until I found where the clasp was over my finger.

I looked at my opposite wrist and noticed an IV pressed into my skin.

I realized by now that I was obviously in a hospital but I tried to lift my head to get a better look around anyways, and immediately let it fall right back down again as my vision swam.

I looked above me to the left and noticed both a bag of A positive blood and a bag of clear liquid, morphine would be my guess.

'_But why…'_

A tension in my right shoulder made it all come back and I looked down to see a large white bandage over where I'm sure I had many stitches.

I needed to find Edward; I had to make sure he was okay.

I took a deep breath before using all my strength to hoist myself up. Obviously the morphine wasn't strong enough because there was an agonizing pain, making the beeping noise from the heart monitor increase exponentially.

I was breathing heavily and I was barely in a sitting position. Immediately the door opened and a nurse came rushing in, obviously my increase in heart rate alerted her outside the door.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere right now." She said.

I gave her a fierce look but decided that at this moment she could probably take me in a struggle.

I laid back down and took a few deep breaths to return my heart rate to a normal level before speaking.

"Where's Edward?" I asked her.

"If you're talking about the boy who brought you in; then he's in the waiting room." She said almost absentmindedly as she inspected the bag that held my morphine.

I let out a breath of relief and let my body relax a little bit.

Now I could focus on other things.

"How long have I been out?" I asked her.

"About ten or so hours, give or take a couple." She replied nonchalantly.

"What!?!" I exclaimed.

"Well what did you expect? You were shot for god's sake. The surgery itself took a few hours, and then you've been out for the rest of the time. They didn't think you were going to make it. You lost a lot of blood." She replied, gesturing to the bag of blood that was hanging up, before looking at me.

I wasn't sure how to respond to someone pretty much telling me I shouldn't be alive

"The doctor will be in in a moment. He'll be glad to know that you're awake." She said before striding out the door, leaving me to my thoughts.

Edward had saved me.

If it wasn't for him, I probably would be dead right now.

I swallowed hard at that thought, and tried to think about something else.

When I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't somehow make me think about almost dying; I settled for just counting the beeps of my heart rate.

Three-hundred beeps later the door opened and a man walked in who I could only assume was my doctor.

Following him was a man that I would be able to recognize even in a drug induced haze, Aro.

The look he gave me was calculating, almost as if he couldn't figure out how I had gotten myself into this situation. I had never gotten injured badly enough to be on the brink of death.

"Agent Swan." He greeted me. I nodded in a return greeting, watching the doctor out of the corner of my eye; he wasn't surprised at all which told me that he had already been filled in about the situation.

I looked at Aro expectedly, waiting for him to just get on with what he had to say.

When he didn't say anything, the doctor interrupted in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"How are you feeling Ms. Swan?" He asked.

After another moment looking at Aro I turned my head to the doctor and said, "I little dizzy, but I'm fine."

He nodded, as if he expected as much and said, "That's the morphine we've got you on; you're going to feel light-headed too until we get your blood levels back up to the normal amount."

I nodded in response and looked back at Aro.

"Your back-up agent should be here momentarily." Was all he said.

"What about Edward?" I asked, staring at him.

"We'll discuss him later." His voice held a finality that demanded obedience.

I reluctantly gave it to him.

A few moments later the door reopened and Casey rushed in.

"Oh thank god!" She said once she caught sight of me up and awake.

"Hey Casey" I said, sad that I had made her worried.

She rushed over and looked me over to make sure that I was all in one piece. Once she was satisfied, she glared at me.

I was taken aback by her expression and looked at her in confusion.

"Why didn't you call me?" She asked angrily.

I started to say something but she cut me off, "What were you thinking!?! Do you have any idea how worried I've been!?! I'm supposed to be here to help you! If you had died…" Her voice trailed off sadly.

"I'm sorry." I told her, truly meaning it.

She wiped her eyes and looked at me, but the anger was mostly gone. In its place was just sadness and worry.

Though she didn't voice it, I felt like I was mostly forgiven.

I felt drained of energy, but not tired enough to ask, "What about Edward?"

It was obvious I was talking to Aro by the tone in my voice.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that Agent Swan." Was his response.

I shook my head in defiance, even though he was right, I didn't want to believe it.

"It's the easiest way." He said, looking at me, "What did you think was going to happen? It had to end sometime. You of all people know that."

I felt tears gathering at the back of my eyes as I stared blankly at the ceiling above me.

When I didn't respond he took it as acceptance.

He looked at the doctor who nodded. Obviously Aro had explained what had to happen before hand.

The doctor walked out the door, Aro right behind him.

Casey took one look at me, and decided that I needed to be alone for a while, before exiting the room behind the others.

As soon as I was alone, tears streamed silently down the sides of my face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

I briefly remember the other girl, Casey, telling me that she had to go to the bathroom, but I couldn't focus enough right now to be sure.

I had my head in my hands as I sat in the same chair that I had been in for the last I don't even know how many hours.

Alice was asleep in the chair next to me. Even though it was bound to be some hour of the early morning, I wasn't even going to try and sleep.

The only sounds I heard now were my even breathing and the ticking of the clock on the wall behind me.

'_She has to be okay.'_

I had been repeating that same phrase over and over again in my head for as long as I'd been sitting there.

I jumped when the door opened again.

I looked up expecting to see Casey, but saw the doctor instead with his back turned to me as he closed the door.

I reached out my hand and shook Alice awake; sure that what he was going to say was going to be important.

She looked at me sleepily but sat up once she saw the doctor behind me.

I watched the doctor turn around to face me, and my stomach dropped.

The expression on his face made my eyes widen in horror.

He looked at me with sad eyes and shook his head.

I couldn't breathe.

I was scarcely aware of someone saying "no" over and over again, getting louder each time. It took me a moment to realize that it was me.

It felt like the whole world was collapsing in on me.

He just looked at me sadly and said, "I'm sorry." before quietly leaving.

"No!" I yelled

I couldn't-no, I wouldn't believe it. I refused.

I got up and burst through the door he had just left in.

I started sprinting down the hall; she had to be in one of these rooms.

"Bella!" I cried out frantically over and over again, pushing people out of the way.

Two security guards were soon holding me back.

I struggled and shoved them, screaming her name out.

Soon they were practically shoving me down the hallway in the opposite direction.

It was as I was being propelled back that realization seemed to settle in.

She was gone.

I fell, limp, soon they had to start dragging me back.

How could she leave me?

Didn't she know that I needed her?

That I loved her?

I stared down the hallway from which I was being dragged away from. Somewhere in one of its rooms, Bella was lying lifeless in a sleep from which she would never re-awaken.

Tears streamed silently down the sides of my face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV (Two months later)

Two months.

It's been two whole months since I was shot.

Two months since I was in Forks.

Two months since my mission.

Two months since him…

I was lying in my bed at the Academy, thinking about anything and everything. I had become an empty shell since I returned to the Academy; Casey was the only one I ever talked to, and even that was brief.

I traced my fingertips over the scar on my right shoulder; it was still sensitive and would probably take a few more weeks until it would stop hurting completely.

The surgeons had done a good job, but it would still take a lot of training to get my shoulder muscles working the same way again.

I wanted to throw myself back into training right now, regardless of my injury. I knew it was one of the few things that could make me forget.

I still hadn't unpacked any of the stuff from my last mission; I was afraid that it would bring the memories back.

The door to my room opened and I was briefly aware of Casey standing at the foot of my bed. She was just looking at me.

"What?" I asked, propping myself up on my elbows so that I could look at her.

"It's been two months Bella." I just continued to look at her, not saying a word.

"You changed when you went there. You may not realize it, but you did." She said when she saw me roll my eyes.

"That's ridiculous. I'm still the same person." I replied.

"No," She said, looking me directly in the eye, "You're not. You may seem the same to everyone else around here, but I know that you've changed."

We stared at each other for a few moments before I looked away.

"You haven't even unpacked yet." She said, regaining my attention.

"I didn't feel a need to yet." Was my reply.

She gave me a sad look that pretty much told me she saw right through me, "You should just get it over with Bella. You have to start letting Edward go."

My heart clenched at the mention of his name.

"If you want, I'll help you." She offered, but I shook my head.

My voice cracked slightly as I said, "No, that's alright. I should do it by myself."

She nodded in understanding and left the room.

I waited a few minutes before I built up the courage to pull the bag out from underneath my bed, where I had stashed it two months ago.

I took a deep breath and unzipped the cover, pushing it back.

Lying on top were the few throwing knives that didn't get left behind. I took them out and placed them to the side, there were bound to be more weapons that I would need to put away.

Next were my mission clothes which I folded and also placed to the side.

My throat started to feel tight when I pulled out the clothing that I had bought with Alice on our shopping trip.

My fingers traced over the softness of the blue dress I had worn to the school dance.

I started to rush through the rest of the clothing, wanting to get this over with faster.

I pulled the last article of clothing out and had to hold back a sob.

Lying on the bottom of my suitcase was Edward's silver watch.

With shaking fingers I reached in and pulled it out.

_Flashback:_

"_Now no one will second guess that you are mine." He said with intensity in his eyes._

_For the second time in five minutes, my breath hitched._

"_And you should wear this." He said as he slipped his obviously expensive, silver watch onto my thin wrist. "Just in case you need to remind yourself."_

_End Flashback_

Tears streamed down my face for the first time in two months as I slid his watch onto my wrist.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

It's been two months.

But it's felt like forever.

Nobody but Alice seemed to understand.

I had become an empty shell without her. My life seemed to lose meaning and everything seemed dull and lifeless.

At least Alice seemed to be making a small effort to move on; but I still heard her crying from time to time. She had lost her best friend.

My emotions kept turning from heartbroken, to emptiness, to anger at her agency for making her do it.

Besides myself, I blamed them for her death. I wanted retribution for what they did. I wanted them to be aware of how much her life was worth. I'm sure they just thought of her as someone expendable.

As time's gone on, my anger has grown.

I still had Bella's phone. When I had triggered the GPS signal that had led Casey to us; it had allowed me to later access her phone.

I had spent hours poring over the GPS mapping system in her phone and eventually I had found it. Meyer Academy.

It was listed in a list of previous locations that I had had to dig to find.

Even though I had found it, I wasn't sure if I should go or not. I was on the fence between going to get revenge and staying here where I knew I was safe.

The thing that pushed me over the edge came a few days later.

My father found me sitting in my room, staring at a photo of Bella that I had taken a few months back, when things were still happy.

He had shaken his head at me sadly, "Edward, you need to stop moping and get over this girl, Brittany or whatever her name was."

I had looked at him angrily, "Her name was Bella."

He made a motion with his hand as if this meant no difference to him, "Whatever, either way you shouldn't be wasting your time over some worthless person."

I narrowed my eyes at him while standing up and stepping closer to him.

"Don't you dare talk about her that way. Bella was the best thing that ever happened to me." I told him.

He seemed taken aback that I had dared to talk to him that way.

"You know what." I was on a roll now, "All I ever wanted to do was make you realize that I existed. You, my father. Bella was the best thing that ever happened to me because she made me realize just how much I don't need you."

With that I slammed the door in his shocked face; then turned around and grabbed Bella's cell phone.

There was no more doubt in my mind.

I was going to California.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I had managed to catch a flight out of Seattle and was soon landing in Sacramento, California.

Anger was my motivation now.

Anger at my father, Meyer Academy, and myself. And it was all leading me to the people who had made Bella take that bullet for me.

It wasn't hard to find a car to steal. All I had to do was grab a guys keys as he was unlocking his mustang and soon I was behind the wheel.

I opened Bella's phone up and pulled up the GPS, my fingers expertly worked through the path I had found to her previous locations and pulled up the Academy.

I accelerated and headed in the direction it told me to go.

The police weren't on my tail yet, but I didn't think it was going to be that long before they caught up to me.

I accelerated a little bit more.

In about a half hour I was at the gate. It was large and metal with the letters M and A on it. I knew I was in the right place.

I let my emotions control my actions. Right now, sadness was taking a backseat to anger.

I didn't think.

I just floored it.

I broke through the gate and continued driving. I was going at least sixty and I had to spin the car to stop it from crashing into the entrance to the Academy.

An alarm was going off somewhere in the building.

I threw open my door and got out.

I was getting some answers and my revenge, one way or another.

The alarms were louder now and soon people were running out of the building.

The first guy that got close enough to me, my fist came in contact with his face and I took his gun.

I pointed it at him, even though I was beginning to be surrounded by others, "I want to speak to the person in charge. Now!"

"I don't think you're in any position to be giving orders.

I turned around to see an older man, with at least thirty people behind him all with their guns pointed at me

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

"What happened?" I asked Casey as she ran by my room.

Alarms were going off all around us; I grabbed a gun from my room quickly before following her.

"Someone's tried to break in. They already got past the gate." She said.

This was starting to get me a little bit worried; I followed behind her at a quick pace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EPOV

"I want to talk to whoever's in charge." I said, pointing my gun at the older man in front of me.

He just smiled. "You must have a death wish." He said, "But I am the man with whom you wish to speak."

I raised my gun a little higher at this new information; making the thirty or so people behind him step closer.

He looked a little closer at me, "Aren't you that Cullen boy?" He asked.

I seemed to finally find my voice, "Yes, I am. I'm the one that you ordered one of your agents to die for." There was venom in my voice.

"Ah yes, Agent Swan. That was a terrible loss, but I assure you that it was not by our hand. She made the decision herself." He said.

I swallowed hard.

"Yet here you stand in front of me, knowing that even if you do attempt to pull that trigger, all of these trained agents will end your life in milliseconds." He smiled again, "You really do have a death wish."

"I'd rather be dead then live without her." I told him truthfully.

He seemed to consider me for a moment before saying, "As you wish."

He stepped to the side and the agents behind him raised their weapons.

The only thought that went through my mind was that I would be with Bella again soon.

I heard a few clicks as a few of them readied their weapons.

I closed my eyes.

I breathed in.

"STOP!"

My heart skipped a beat.

I was sure that I was already dead, or had completely lost my mind.

That voice would render me breathless for as long as I lived.

I didn't want to open my eyes, but they couldn't help it when I heard the same voice again, "EDWARD!!!"

I must be dead.

For there was Bella, running down the front steps of the Academy towards me, in all her glory.

She was as flawless as ever.

She stopped right in front of me.

I smiled at her, and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. The longing I felt at that moment was indescribable.

"Edward, are you trying to get yourself killed! What kind of idiot tries to break into a national agency filled with assassins?" She said, a worried expression on her face.

"So this is what heaven is like." I said, brushing her cheek with my fingertips.

"Edward, you're not dead…and neither am I." She went around to my other side.

"Lower your weapons!" She yelled. I turned around and saw the agents that had been ordered to kill me with confused expressions on their faces.

Seeing them seemed to make something click in my mind.

If I wasn't dead…

Then Bella truly was in front of me.

And she was alive.

I couldn't stop myself from reaching my arms out to her and pulling her to me. I wrapped my arms around her tight enough to let the message get across that I was never letting her go. Her scent of strawberries and freesia hit me with a familiarity that I had missed.

With her in my arms I felt complete; the hole inside me was filled.

I pulled back to look at her face but still kept her in my arms. There were tears streaming down her face, I wiped them away with my thumbs.

"I love you Bella." I told her, looking into her eyes.

More tears streamed down her face, she paused a moment before saying, "I love you too Edward."

I pulled her to me again, wrapping my arms around her and kissing the top of her head. The crowd behind us dispersed, but I was too wrapped up in the moment to notice.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BPOV

The feeling of being in Edward's arms made me complete.

The emptiness I had felt when he was gone was filled again, and I was never going to let that feeling go ever again. I didn't think I would be able to live through it.

Tears of happiness were streaming down my face, staining his shirt for sure.

Eventually I pulled back and grabbed his hand. It was time to talk to Aro.

I glanced back at Edward every few moments, just to make sure that I wasn't imagining him being here.

He really did love me.

Why else would he put his life on the line like that?

He would smile at me every time I looked back at him, almost as if he couldn't believe that I was real either, he kept a tight grip on my hand and didn't give any intention of letting go.

I knocked on Aro's door and then entered.

The look on his face was far from happy. I had blown his plan. Edward was still supposed to think I was dead.

I just glared back; he almost had Edward killed, I had no choice.

"Agent Swan." He said, his eyes narrowing.

I gave him the same look, but got straight to the point. "I want Edward to join the Academy."

He looked at me like I was insane.

"Absolutely not." He said.

"Why?" I asked, my eyes still narrowed.

"First of all, he has no training-" He started.

"I'll train him myself." I told him.

"Does he even want to join?" Aro asked.

Edward answered for me. "I'm staying wherever Bella is."

Aro's eyes shifted over to Edward before coming back to me.

I could still sense the hesitance.

"Either he stays. Or I go." I told him with finality.

He stared at me hard. We both knew that he could not afford to lose me.

After a few more moments he said, "Very well, but he's your responsibility."

I smiled at him, glad that we had come to an agreement.

I turned around and led a very stunned Edward out of the room.

I closed the door behind me and looked at him hesitantly.

"Is that okay?" I asked, afraid that I had overstepped. "You can say no if you want. Go back to Forks and continue to live your normal life."

He looked at me and said, "Without you, I have to no life to go back to. You are my life now."

He took a step forward and took my hands in his.

"But what about Alice?" I asked, I would have to let her know now that Edward was aware that I was alive.

"Alice has Jasper and her life there. Mine is wherever you are." He stepped even closer and wrapped his arms around me.

"But what about-" He sealed my mouth with his, and I melted into him.

After a few moments he pulled away and said, "If you want to get rid of me, you're going to have to try a lot harder than that."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him, nestling myself in his embrace.

Right where I belonged.

~THE END~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Well, there you have it. After nine months the final chapter is published. This was by far my longest chapter, but I think it was also one of my favorites to write.**

**Sorry about not getting to any lemons, I apologize, I just never wrote a chapter where I could fit it in without being awkward.**

**Okay, so how badly do you guys want a sequel? I need to know. I could continue this story or just end it here; I'm going to need a lot of reviews to convince me to continue. I got an insane amount of reviews last chapter and I'm hoping to get even more. I'm going to need ideas if I'm going to continue! So you may have to give me some time to think of something.**

**Thank you to those of you who have reviewed every single chapter of this story and have stuck with me from the beginning, it really means a lot to me.**

**I am thinking about posting a different story along with the "maybe" sequel to this one. If I do decide to continue this one, I will post another chapter on here telling you. That way those of you who have this story on story alert, will all know when to check out the next one.**

**Thanks again for sticking with me to the very end. :P**

**~Archer24**


	28. AN

**A/N:**

**So I have come to my decision about the sequel. Unfortunately I'm sure many of you are not going to like it. I've decided that I'm going to postpone the sequel for the moment. **

**At this time I don't have enough of the storyline thought out in my head. For me to write a story, I need to be able to know where it's going; otherwise I would just end up rambling on through each chapter and you guys would lose interest, heck **_**I**_** would lose interest and then the story would be no good. **

**Instead, I'm going to wait (just a little while!), and when I figure out where the heck I'm going with it, I'll start writing. While I toss ideas around in my head, I'm going to publish another story. I just posted the first chapter and I'm actually really excited about this one. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to write. And if you liked Guardian Agent, then I know that you will like this one because it's going to be just as action packed. So give it a chance and just try to be patient about the sequel to Guardian Agent. **

**I also wanted to thank all of you that begged for a sequel, it really told me just how much you liked Guardian Agent. I also found it really funny that most of you do not actually know how to spell 'sequel'. Lol. So if you read my other story (which I really hope you do because it's going to be good!) then I'll let you know when I start writing the sequel for Guardian Agent. I'll also probably delete this A/N and post another one that replaces it, letting you know about the sequel. That way, if you decide not to read my other story ********, but still have this one on story alert, you'll know when I started writing the sequel.**

**Anyways, please give my other story a chance, I think it might even turn out better then Guardian Agent. And try not to ask me when I'll start writing the sequel to Guardian Agent, because I really don't know. Thanks for understanding, I know that if you really liked this story then you'll stick around, be patient and wait for a light bulb to go off in my head. :P**

**Sincerely,**

**Acher24**


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